Owari
by Lilith Rei
Summary: Requiem is fired on earth, and no one is able to prevent it. Now, life becomes a struggle for survival as the Orb and ZAFT partner together to destroy Blue Cosmos, and get revenge for lives lost. YxS AxC DxM KxL many other pairings as chapters are written
1. Chapter 1

_I ended up finding a few differences in the first chapter that did not work with the rest of the story. This 1st chapter has been revised. It was driving me nuts ;P Anyway, I hope you enjoy my story. I'll start with saying that there are a few spoilers for the end of the series throughout the ENTIRE story. Now to many, but a few._

_It really doesn't have a set agenda, but I update it about as often as my other stories. Have fun, and send me a review to tell me what you think :D_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Seed Destiny_

* * *

Yzak Jule walked down the hallway of his ship. He could still hear the crew murmuring behind him. Whispers always annoyed him, it told him that people were not being truthfull. Stopping a moment, he glanced out of the window at the blue sky around the Voltaire.

Earth had always been the root of a lot of his problems. From political to personal, to the sunburn he still remembered from when he first went there. But as much as he disliked the place, he did not hate it. However, now that he was stuck doing missions on it...it did not help his opinions much.

He contemplated going to his office a moment, and then decided to head to the bridge instead.

Athrun walked down the hallway, testing the newest radio equipment they were planning on using in sercurity. He walked about the halls.

"Can you hear me?"

"Rogar." a gruff voice, Kisaka, sounded back at him.

"What's wrong?" Athrun asked, "You seem...less then pleased."

"With all do respect, Athrun-sama, that is an understatement."

Kisaka only addressed him formally in his real name when no one else could hear their conversation. Kisaka and Manna were really the only two in the mansion that knew about Athrun and Cagali, and about who Athrun really was. Athrun was still trying to get used to the formal treatment by a man that he once looked at as a superior, but he was getting used to it now.

"What is it?"

There was a moment of silence.

"Athrun-sama, how long have you known Cagali-sama?"

"I don't know..." Athrun thought a moment, "...this is the second year since the war with Chairman Dullindal, so I've known her for almost 5 years now. Why?"

"Athrun-sama, will you be honest with me?"

"Of course." he spoke without contemplating the question.

"Do you love Cagali?"

Athrun stopped in his tracks, turning to glance at the large portrait of Uzumi Atha that hung in the large hall. Out of respect, Athrun did a ZAFT salute.

"I do."

"Then why have you not asked her to marry you yet?"

"Because, right now I am a bodygaurd, the Orb administration would never let Cagali marry a commoner."

"But you aren't a commoner."

"Athrun Zala is a nobel. A PLANT nobel. Alex Denon is a common bodygaurd. I would have to blow my cover in order to let them know, then I would probably have to leave Orb. I would rather stay here by her side, having occasional moments with her, then never see her again."

"Are you not aware of the law, Athrun-sama?"

"Law?"

"Cagali-sama shall be turning 21 soon." he said, "Soon, if she does not find a suitable husband, the Emirs will pick one for her."

Athrun suddenly felt his heart sink.

"Wh...What?"

"Cagali-sama." he said, "Will have to marry someone who can aid her. What would you do, Athrun-sama? Let her marry and spend the rest of your life to the bodygaurd of the woman you love while she is married to another man? Or will you follow your heart and soul and persue her like a real man?"

"I know I am a coward, Kisaka." Athrun replied, "I do not need you to tell me."

"Listen to me, Athrun-san..."

"Do you think I enjoy this?" he said, "Do you think I enjoy standing in background? I'm in love with her, damn it. But no one can ever know that, I can't even face it myself. If I started to think about how much this situation was actually affecting me...I would go insane."

Kisaka was quiet.

"You may laugh at me now." Athrun smiled sadly, "I would if I was you."

"Of course not, sir."

"A...Athrun?" a soft voice whispered to him.

He froze.

"Athrun-sama? Who's there?" Kisaka asked.

There was no response. Athrun was now looking into the face of the blonde-haired princess. He frowned, "How long have you been standing there?"

"A while."

"I see."

Kisaka whispered to him, "Who is it?"

"Kisaka, I'll call you back."

The other man said nothing for a while, and then said, "Understood. Out."

Athrun pulled the headset out of his ear. Cagali stared back at him, wearing her white pajamas and the white robe.

"I couldn't sleep." she said.

"Nor I." he sighed, "So I'm working."

There was a pause.

"Athrun? Kisaka told you, didn't he?"

"Yes."

She stared at him, then tears began to fall down her cheeks.

"I won't marry anyone else!" she yelled, "I won't marry anyone but you!"

"Cagali-"

He gasped as there were footsteps in the next hall. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him into her room as a maid past. He held her in his arms, and they sunk to the floor, his back pressed against the door. She sat on the floor in between his long legs.

"Athrun..." she cried, "...Athrun, I'm tired of hiding. I want everyone to know you. I want to get married and show you off. I want-"

"I want the same thing as well." he said, "I know, I know."

"Please, don't leave me alone."

He sat there with her for the longest time in complete silence.

"Cagali?"

"Hm?"

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes."

Cagali replied so quickly, he was worried that she did it out of impulse a moment. After a few second, he simply buried his face in her hair.

"Thank you." he whispered, "Thank you for-"

She kissed him, feeling him pull her closer and closer.

* * *

Yzak sat in his captain's chair, looking over the report.

"Damn." Dearka frowned, "How many dumb missions do they have to send us?"

"This is not a minor mission by any means." the silver-haired Captain tugged on his hair slightly, "Set course now."

"Aye sir."

Back in his office, there read a note on Yzak's computer. It had been sent only five minutes ago, and blinked on the screen, creating an errie glow in the room.

_Yzak..._

_The lines are down, and everything is being monitered. There was a military coup on Apirlius One 2 hours ago, Blue Cosmos has taken over everything. All of PLANT and the council belong to them now. I'm hiding in a place I must not even mention here. If I am found, it will mean my death._

_Djibril is alive. No one knows how yet, but it is suspected he is cloned from Blue Cosmos tech scienctists._

_Using a secure line, I hope this reaches you in time, my son. Blue Cosmos is planning on aiming a low setting of the Requiem onto earth. Destroying any resistence. Please, do what you must. Many of the ZAFT ships are down, only a few escaped. Do what you can._

_Take care, love. I do not know what I can see you again. Please know that I am safe and well taken care of. I pray for your safety._

_Ezaria Jule_

* * *

Athrun lay in the king-size bed, the girl with him curled further into his arms.

"Cagali?"

"Hm?"

"Lets get up early, and go."

"Go, where?"

"Get married."

"What!"

"Right now." he said, running his fingers over her cheek, "Is that alright?"

She smiled, and nodded at him.

Cagali suddenly felt the ground shake slightly. Athrun tensed up, obviously not used to the occasional earthquakes in Orb yet.

"It's alright." she said, "Just and earthquake. It's not even on land."

The shaking did not stop.

He sat up, the girl rolling off him into the pillows. He stared at the glass of water on the table, the ripples were getting larger and larger.

"Athrun?" she asked, "What's wrong?"

He got up, walking across the room, slipping on his black shorts. Walking to the window, he stared at the sky. Watching as the beam hit the ocean. Athrun stood there a moment, then his eyes grew wide as the whole ground shook, the glass of water slid off the table to the floor.

"Athrun!" she got up, running to him, grabbing his arm, "What the hell is going on!"

"Cagali." he grabbed her arm, "Whatever you do, never let go of me."

"Huh-"

She looked over his shoulder, the blast radius of the beam was heading straight for Orb. Cagali saw it slam into the coastline. Looking up into his alarmed eyes, she felt him throw his arms over her as he threw them to the ground.

Cagali remembered nothing.

It was like being weightless for a moment. She was certain they were hit. The lights were too bright to see, the noises too loud to hear...all she knew was they were engulfed in an aray of fire and debris.

The last thing she remembered, was being swept away as the beam hit them.

* * *

_Send a review and tell me what you thought!_

_Arigato_

_Lilith_


	2. Chapter 2

_I hope this story doesn't seem to random. I'm trying to set the story up a little before I get into the full blown plot, so please bare with me :D Trust me, this story will be going somewhere soon._

_It's finally spring break, and Anime Detour is in a week! Yay! I hope everyone is having a wonderful St. Patrick's Day and White Day (march 14)._

_Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Seed Destiny_

_**Revised Note**: No worries. I just revised it. Forget the note above. :P  
_

* * *

_The bar was quiet that day, the bartender thought as he cleaned the top of the counter, when the door opened. There were a few other regulars in the lobby, but this was a newcomer that had just entered the bar. He was tall, wearing a long, brown trenchcoat, with a thick black scarf wrapped around his neck and most of his face. The bartender could tell he was a young man, probably 20 or 21._

The stranger sat at the counter.

"Whiskey, please."

"Right away, sir."

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as the visitor pulled off his scarf and pushed his hood off his head. He was indeed young.

"What's your name, wanderer?" the bartender asked, pouring him a shot of whiskey.

"Athrun." he said.

"Sounds familiar." the bartender said, "Where you from?"

Athrun stopped a moment, "I'm from around."

"I see. What are you doing in the area?"

"Just passing through on the way home. My wife will not be please with me if I am gone much longer." Athrun pulled his gloves off to grasped the glass. There was a golden wedding band on his hand.

"Married? Eh...it's been years since I've been to a wedding. All the young people in the area were drafted or killed in the raids."

Athrun had a sad look on his face for a moment, and then nodded.

"Of course." he took a sip of whiskey, and the downed the whole shot. He tapped his glass on the bar counter again, and the middle-aged bartender poured him some more.

"Did you have buisness in a nearby town?"

"I came from the front." Athrun said, "I'm bringing reports back to my superior."

"Yer' must be a higher up then. The military doesn't let anyone leave these days unless that are pretty important. Your not wearin' any uniform. I couldn't tell."

"I suppose you could say that." Arthrun smiled, taking another drink. After a few moments of silence, he set the glass down and paid for it. "Well, please excuse me."

"Good luck." the bartender said, "Out on the battle field, kid."

Athrun smiled at him, and nodded slightly, tying the scarf back around his neck.

Walking down the street, it was dusty. Since he had grown up in PLANT and space, his lungs had always been sensitive to the dust. He would always cough a lot. Walking through the only, dusty town, he disappeared into the trees. Or rather...they had at one time been trees.

It was not uncommon to see dozens of acres of the dead trees. The dead leaves still attached to the branches would rustle loudly, but sometimes they would fall in droves like a dead snow. Athrun walked through the dead, ghostly forrest towards the thicket ahead.

"I hope you were alright by yourself, my friend."

The Inifinite Justice sat in the cave, powered down and quiet. Athrun had been able to clean it up after the long battle. Glancing at the symbol on the right shoulder of the gundam was the crest of the royal house of Orb. It was half and half his own Zala family crest, and the other half was combined with the Atha crest.

He was not just a higher up in the military, he was the leader of Orb. Although, he had not been totally lying when he said he had to report to his superiors.

Reports from the front were due to be turned in, and after almost a year, he finally had received permission for leave from the high council. Ellieen Canaver, who had been the sit-in as chairwoman of the ZAFT supreme council and who had been a friend of Athrun's mother, had actually pulled in a few favors to get him the vaccation time. It had been such a long time since he had seen his wife.

Athrun opened the cockpit door to his gundam and after closing it, he pulled his scarf off his neck. Taking off the jacket, he activated the OS system. His eyes caught sight of something on the console, and a smile crept across his face. There was a letter sitting on the controls, and he picked it up, reading it for the fourth time since he got it three days ago.

_Dearest love,_

_It's been such a long time since we were last together, and so many things have happened. Every night I lay awake in that empty bed of ours and I miss you. I hear more and more reports for the front, and more people are suffering and dying, and I am afraid for your safety. I do not know would I would do if I lost you. I would most certainly loose myself._

_Only a few things have happened, but all of them are big. Lacus just had a baby boy yesterday, and the council gave Kira permission for a 2 week leave. 2 weeks is not nearly enough in my opinion. It is a healthy boy with Lacus's bright eyes. Kira is having so much fun taking care of him. You'll get to see the new baby when you come back._

_I pray every day that you are well. You are the only thought in my mind._

_I want to see you, I need to see you._

_I love you._

_Cagali_

Athrun read the letter over again before he stuck it into his jacket pocket. The red necklace sat on the outside of his shirt, and he gripped it slightly. The last year had driven him insane from being away from her.

* * *

Lacus took a drink of water.

"You should remain in bed and rest." Caridad smiled at her, "You are young and strong, but you are too weak at the moment to work."

"Alright." Lacus smiled at her, "Thank you so much for taking such good care of me. I don't think Kira and I-"

"Lacus." Caridad laid a hand on her face, "You are the mother of my grandson, and Kira's son. You are one of our family, and you are MY daughter. Do not thank me for something that I take joy in doing. Do you understand?"

Lacus nodded at her.

"Now, sleep." she said to the young woman. Closing the door silently behind her, she let out a sigh.

"You sound exhausted." the blind priest stood in the hall, "Delivering a child, protecting the rest of the orphans, taking care of the house...you have been working hard. I can only think, are you working this way as payment for loosing your husband-"

He stopped as he felt her grab ahold of his sleeve. She was leaning against the wall.

"It's not like that."

"Oh?"

"Reverand?"

"Yes, Caridad-san?"

"Shut up."

He frowned, looking in the direction of her voice. She moved over to him, and leaned on his arm.

"Caridad-san-"

"Stop hiding it. I know that you're trying really hard not to bother me. But you're not fooling me."

"I have no other intention other then to help you."

He yelped as she grabbed his shoulders and shoved him against the wall. Even though she was so tiny and fragile, she was strong when she wanted to be. Although he could still sense her exhaustion for being up for days taking care of Lacus and the other children. Kira had taken over caring for the baby, so at least she was exempt from that.

Malchio stared right at her face. He could not see her, but there was not a doubt in his mind that she was deathly pale, and that she was in a terrible need of rest. Her husband had died at the end of Jachine Due from cancer, and it was then that he had come to know this woman. Caridad Yamato was strong, gentle, and kind. After being the adoptive mother of the most powerful mobile suit piolet ever known, she was also pretty well known herself for being the head of Orb's research deparment. Erica Simmons had temporarily took leave because she had just recently had another child herself.

So Caridad was pulling twice as much work then normal.

"What is wrong?" he asked.

He froze.

The woman sunk into his arms, she was shaking. He gripped her arms, "Are you...alright?" he asked, "Are you ill?"

She looked up at him. Right then, she did not care that someone might see, or that he was a priest, or where they were. She was tired of just pretending. If she was going to be punished for doing what she was about to do, may she be sent to hell for it.

"Malchio?"

He was startled. It was the first time she had ever called him by name.

She slid her smooth hands over his face, his hands tightened around her arms.

"Caridad, stop-"

She kissed him. She had not kissed a man in 3 years. For a second she was worried that there was something wrong, and then those thoughts rushed from her head as he kissed her back. His strong arms wrapped around her shoulders.

Back in the bedroom, Lacus lay on her side, staring at the door. She smiled to herself, and then fell asleep. Her husband would berate her if she did not rest.

* * *

Cagali stared at the morning horizon. She could still see the dusty haze of the sky in the sunlight, and the ruins of Orb. Her people were rebuilding, and everyone was doing the best they could. Looking to the east, she saw the ruins of the old mansion that her and Athrun used to live in.

_CAGALI? Damn it, Cagali speak to me!_

_Wake up! At least tell me your alive! CAGALI!_

She still remembered staring weakly at his horrified, bloody face as there were sounds of explosions and screaming in the background. The explosion from Requiem and narrowly missed Orb, but the country had been so close that the after shocks had leveled everything. She would never forget it for as long as she lived, and she would never forget the look on Athrun's face.

They had woken among the ruins of their own house, and although he was critically injured himself, Athrun had carried her limp form a mile down the hill to the makeshift medical center. Blue Cosmos had completely taken over earth and ZAFT. By now, Orb had managed to re-establish itself as free, and had allied with the Carpentaria base who had survived the initial blast.

The world was thrown into chaos, and over half the population perished in the blast. Countries were leveled, cities and capitals destroyed...it was terrible. Now, all they could do was take what little resources they had and fight Blue Cosmos. Who were trying to kill all Coordinators, and those who associated with them.

The next day they had found a priest, and married in the medical tent.

Back then he had given her a simple gold band. It was the only thing that Athrun had at the time, and she still had the ring he had originally given her. Since then, he had managed to travel back to Orb, and she was now wearing his mother's wedding ring. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

Cagali was working around the clock every day with negotiations and the military that she barely had time for herself. By many people she was viewed as the leader of earth, sometimes even called a goddess by the soliders when she visited the front.

_Athrun. _She rest her head on the cool window.

Cagali missed him. She missed Athrun.

She gasped, opening her eyes.

He stood there in the courtyard, staring up at her. She saw his lips move.

"Cagali."

* * *

___yawn_

_Too late, must sleep._

_Thanks for reading!_

_Arigato_

_Lilith_


	3. Chapter 3

_I started to get a little writers block when I was writing this story so I decided to start a YzakxShiho thing. Thanks for being so patient, I know it's been a while since I've updated this story. _

_Review if you can!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny_

* * *

She tore down the stairs.

The house was long since empty. She no longer had any servants in the house even though she was still as wealthy as ever. Cagali could not keep any within her conscience, knowing the people in the city were destitute. Rushing down the long staircase, she practically ripped the door off it's hinges as she stumbled down the marble steps of the mansion.

"Athrun!" she shrieked, throwing herself into his arms. He was not an illusion, he was real. Athrun was really standing there, holding her in his arms. She kissed his face, not caring that he was covered with dirt and mud. He laughed, picking her up into his arms and spinning around once before setting her down.

"How are you doing?" he asked, "Well, I hope."

"I'm okay now." she said, "I missed you."

"I missed you too."

Athrun stood in his bedroom, staring off to the north. The crater was still there, were the initial blast of the cannon hit. It was amazing that everything was still standing. He jumped slightly as arms pulled the jacket off him.

"Athrun, you're filthy, you need a bath."

He smirked, "Really?"

She blushed at him, and then smiled shyly. As loud and straight-foreward as she was, Cagali still acted like a child sometimes. She laughed out loud as he scooped her up into his arms and they disappeared into the bathroom. Pulling off all their clothes, Cagali found herself sitting the tub behind Athrun, washing his hair.

"Aah." he smiled, "I haven't had a decent bath in weeks."

Cagali made a face at him, "Weeks?"

"Don't look at me that way." he said, "Trust me, taking a bath in rivers is not all that pleasant. If you want to freeze your ass off, fine with me."

"You're not really the outdoors type, are you Athrun?"

"No." he sighed, "I liked PLANT. Weather was regulated, and the temperature never dropped below 60."

"Pansey." she smiled, kissing the corner of his neck. He chuckled at her, his neck was always ticklish.

"So, tell me about this new kid."

"Oh, Kira and Lacus' son?" Cagali smiled, "His name is Akira."

"Akira, huh? Should have seen that one coming."

"Lacus wanted to name him that." Cagali smiled, "He's so cute. He has such beautiful eyes. Athrun, when we have kids, I want them to have your eyes."

"Mine?" he said, "I think your eyes are beautiful."

"I hate my eyes." she frowned.

"Well have to make sure to have a lot of kids. How about 8? Then we can have half and half."

"8!" she gapped at him, "I don't know about that."

"What?" he looked at her, "Not enough?"

She smirked at him as she dumped a bucket of water as his head.

* * *

Athrun sat at the table as Cagali went over the files.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked, "I don't know if its safe to recall all the soliders needed for this."

"We need them." she said, "If we give up the northern and southern bases, evacuate all the other civilians to other parts of the protected territories, we'll have more then enough. We'll need help though."

"Kira?"

"I'm asking Kira as a last resort." she said, "Lacus is in hiding, and he needs to be there to protect her and the others. Djibril will pay any price he possess to get ahold of her and her son."

"What do you mean?"

Cagali sighed, "There is a chance that he is an Ultimate like Kira, but we won't know for sure until he is about 3 or so. Caridad-san dug out some of the old research, and she said that one of the signs is that the child is born prematurely, which Akira was born 3 weeks early. But if Djibril gets ahold of either of them, he can synthesize genes and produce more effective Advanced soliders."

"I see." Athrun said, "There is another choice."

"Choice?"

"We could ask Shinn Asuka."

Cagali opened her mouth, Athrun interrupted her, "Cagali, he is a professional, just like I am."

She let out a sighed, "Well, if you trust him it's fine."

Athrun smiled, "You only say yes to me, why is that?"

She giggled, "I always had trouble saying no to you, Athrun."

He shook his head, "That's going to be your downfall one of these days." he stood, "I'll contact Shinn, and then we'll head down to Caridad's house. I want to have a word or two with Kira."

* * *

The calm sea was rushing against the rocks. It was a calm shade of blue, and looked beautiful under the sun. One would not expect that the sea meant death. The attack on earth had destroyed all life in that sea, and now even thought it look beautiful to the eye, it was still just a floating graveyard.

A rumble roared through the air as the motorcycle shot over the hill. Two mobile suits on it's tail.

"Now, Luna!"

She cranned her neck around, raised the anti-mobile suit rifle in her hands. Firing once, she hit the viewing monitor of the closet Zaku, which stumbled and fell into the outcropping of rocks below. She yelped as he turned a corner, grabbing a hold of his shoulders.

"Damn it, Shinn! Keep it steady!"

"Well, if you think you can do better, you drive!" he yelled.

"I hate motorcycles, they are so unrefined!"

"Suck it up." he said, turning once more around the cove.

She shrieked as the last mobile suit fired, and he had to skid across the abandoned road to avoid the explosion.

"Shinn! The road is out!"

He looked foreward, it was only about 10 feet of lost road.

"Hold on!" he sped up the bike, and they shot over the opening, "Now, Lunamaria! Fire!"

She reached one arm around, firing the last shot at the mobile suit. It exploded on the right and fell limp onto the road as they landed. Strapping the large rifle to her back again, Shinn chuckled.

"Nice shot." he said.

"Thanks." she pulled the driving googles back over her eyes.

* * *

It was the end of another day's work of bounty hunting.

They drove for about 10 more minutes before reaching their destination. It was a small village on the outskirts of Orb. Shinn dropped her off at the general store,

"You want to pick up some supplies before we head out?" he asked.

"Sure." she said, stepping off the bike, "Be careful."

"You too." he said as she kissed his cheek and ran off to the store.

Shinn started up the bike and drove through the small, industrial town. There was an old abandoned hanger at the end, where he parked the bike. Banging on the door, the old man answered it.

"Ah, it's you, kid. Where's the little lady?"

"Pickin' up more stuff at the store." he said, "We just took down another bounty, we gotta go to the next town to pick up the pay by tommorrow afternoon."

"I'll be understaffed."

"Money doesn't exactly grow on trees, Jenkins." Shinn flopped in the chair, chugging down a glass of water. "Mobile suit parts are not cheap, and I refuse to go to war just to get free maintaince my gundam."

"You've got both of those troublesome things here." Jenkins chuckled, "Although, I do have to say, I'll miss them."

"The Impulse is nothin'. Destiny is the one that needs explensive parts."

"Tired of cannibalizing other machines?"

"I can't with the Destiny." he said, "It needs a new polycarbonate filter and the right booster sheild is down to 60 capacity. If I am attacked by a another gundam, or need to go into space for some reason, I'm screwed."

"Not like it would matter. You're the best pilot around here."

Shinn shrugged, glancing over at the laptop, he noticed the call light was blinking.

"There's a call."

"Oh that's right."Jenkins shrugged, waving at Shinn, "You got a call, kid."

Shinn made a face, "Well, thanks for telling me Jenkins. It would have been nice if you said something sooner, it might be another gig." he stood up and flipped it on. He gasped when he saw the name.

"Who is it?"

Shinn was quiet, a moment, wondering if he should really answer or not. Against better judgement, he pressed the except link.

"Hello Shinn."

Shinn frowned at the face staring back at him.

"Look what the cat dragged in." he replied, "Athrun-san."

* * *

She walked down the street, carrying the groceries. There had been a couple extra minutes in her day, and she tookit to grab some extra nessecities. It had been a while since she had a break, and this was as good of a time as any. But it was not good to be gone too long as she was trusted with the care of someone important.

Yzak Jule.

Walking up the stairs of the run-down, red brick apartment, she unlocked the door and let herself inside.

The hallways were dirty and the walls were cracked. It was strange to think that in a little corner room at the end of the hallway was the hiding place of one of the PLANT supreme council members.

Shiho was under Yzak's command when the blast fired on earth. Afterwards, there was a long, bloody story that she did not want to remember. But in the end, the entire 11 person squad was dead except for her, Yzak, and Dearka. Dearka had run off a while ago to search for someone, and left Yzak in her charge.

Unfortunatly, life had not been easy for the silver-haired captain.

Being hunted by almost every bounty hunter from PLANT, Yzak was always careful and cautious about what he was doing. This eventually caught up with him as two days ago during their trip to market, they had been attacked. Yzak had been seriously wounded.

So for the time being, they holed themselves up in the apartment until he was better, and she watched him like a hawk. Shiho closed the apartment door behind her and set the groceries on the table. Reaching into the bag, she took a bottle of soda.

Knocking on a door down the hallway, she called to him, "I'm comming in."

Opening the door, Yzak was sitting up in bed watching the television. There was a big bandage on his forehead, and his left arm was wrapped in gauze. There was a deep wound in his left side, but you could not tell for where she stood.

"I brought you a soda."

Yzak looked at her in interested, "Thanks."

He took in from her.

"You were careful, I take it?"

"Careful enough."

She sat in the chair next to his bedside while he sipped at the bottle of soda. It was like any other regular day. Shiho was getting to used to normal days now, and although part of her was tired of war and death, part of her was glad she was not fighting in it at the moment.

Fighting was the key word. These days, all anything was...was death.

They stared at the propaganda documentary. Some trash about Coordinator barbarrians and how Naturals were the only race. Djibril would come on and do a speech about how everyone should work together to eliminate the Coordinator conspiracy.

"Bastard." Yzak muttered.

Yzak picked up the remote and changed the channel. Now they were watching baseball. He was not really into sports, but it was better then listening to that trash. As they watched the screen, Yzak glanced at Shiho.

"I'm sorry."

She stopped, looking at him in surprise. In their entire 2 years together, he had never once apologized to her.

"F-For what?"

Yzak looked at the bottle of soda in his hands.

"You gave up your life to take care of me." he said, "You gave up-"

Shiho was smiling at him.

"It's not a bother, sir." she said, "You are important to the future. When PLANT is reclaimed, you need to be there to guide everyone."

"You think I can really do that?"

"I do."

Yzak sighed, "Is that the only reason?"

She blushed, standing up.

"I think I'll go start dinner."

Yzak watched her walk out of the room. He could barely stand it anymore, being alone in the apartment with her. They had been commrades and friends for a while, but it was only the last few months that he had started to think of her as more then that.

But it was like he always was.

Yzak was a coward. He was hidinig away from the rest of the world, doing his best to run away from fate. Because of that, more of his people were suffering and dying every day at the hands of a madman.

He frowned, he wanted to do something. But what could he do?

It was just like with Shiho. He was too afraid.

"Sir?"

She stood in the doorway, looking at him nervously.

"Yes?"

Shiho blushed, leaning against the doorway, "No. That wasn't the only reason I stay with you."

Yzak stared at her a moment, and then he smiled.

But when she was there with him, things seemed a lot easier.

* * *

_I barely made it through this chapter. I think I need to start to map out this story or it's all going to fade off. Thanks again for being so patient on the random updates._

_Arigato_

_Lilith_


	4. Chapter 4

_I apologize for the late update. I had the chapter all written, and then I left for handbell tour and didn't get it posted in time. Oh well, here it is. I hope you enjoy it!_

_Review if you can!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Seed Destiny_

* * *

Yzak sat on the couch in the living room, watching the television.

Shiho had gone out for a little while, so he sat and waited for her return. Personally, it always made him nervous when she left. Not only was he a sitting duck if he was attacked, but she was out there alone. They had been pretty lucky in the last few days to not come across any bounty hunters, but the stillness of their life was starting to make Yzak feel uneasy.

The door opened, and he reached into his robe for the gun strapped to his back. Seeing that it was Shiho carrying two other paper bags with her, he relaxed, and approched her.

"Let me help you." he took one of the bags from her.

"Are you sure you're okay enough to be up?" she asked, "You're still injured."

"I'll survive." he said, setting the supplies on the counter, "Any luck today?"

She shook her head.

Since they had started living there, a few miles away from their safehouse, Yzak had set up a transmitting beacon. It was in the forest surrounding the city, and constantly transmitted a coded signal to any ZAFT reciever. The truth was that he and Shiho were trapped in the little backwater town, and it was close to impossible to leave without being found out. If anyone important actually knew that he was the potential leader of PLANT, every person within and 50 mile radius would be after his head.

But, unfortunatly, no one had answered their distress call yet.

"I'm sorry, sir."

"It's okay." he said, putting things away in the cuboards, "We'll try again tommorrow."

Yzak sat at the counter in the kitchen as he watched her make lunch. He haunched over to lean his head on the counter when a high-pitch shriek filled his ears. Sitting up straight, Yzak rushing to the windows, furiously yanking the curtains open.

The sky began to darken as the battleships and mobile suits filled the sky.

"Air raid!" Shiho gasped, "What-"

"Blue Cosmos." Yzak gritted his teeth, "Damn bastards..."

"What are we going to do, sir?" she said, turning off the stove, "If they find you, they will-"

"That won't happen. Not if I have anything to do about it."

* * *

Mayor Ran Hultz left the run-down city hall building to meet the OMNI soliders. He bowed low, making sure to do everything he could to not provoke them into leveling the city.

"I am Ran Hultz." the middle-aged man replied, "I am the mayor of this city, Windside. Welcome-"

"We are on orders, Mr. Hultz." the officer, rank of leutinant, told him, "We are to impliment a systematic search of every home in this town."

"What?" Hultz gapped at him, "That is unwarrented! We still have rights-"

"You gave up those rights when your town sided with Orb in the war." he said, "Now, you will allow us to search or we will destroy this city, you're choice."

Hultz sighed, and nodded his consent. Barking a few orders to his officers, the blue-uniformed soliders spread out among the city.

"With all due respect, Leutinant, but what are you searching for?" Hultz asked. Honestly, he was very curious to know what was so important that Blue Cosmos came all the way out to Windside.

"There is a very dangerous man we are looking for. Someone who fled to this area from PLANT."

"Oh? Is this man someone to be worried about?"

"Very." the leutinant nodded, "Yzak Jule."

Ran Hultz frowned, "Who?"

"Formor captain of ZAFT, potential leader of PLANT...Blue Cosmos wants him dead or alive, perferably alive."

"If he's so dangerous, why leave him alive?"

"He has a vast source of knowledge about the whereabouts of men and women that are just as dangerous as he is. If we find Jule, we find them."

Hultz frowned, looking worriedly as the soliders searched the apartments around them.

_In exchange for letting my unit hide in your city limits, we will use our resources to protect your city throughout the war..._

It was a blood debt that Hultz and the rest of Windside would never be able to repay the young man.

_I pray for your safety, Captain...

* * *

_

"AIEEYA!"

A screamed echoed through his ears from Shiho's bedroom.

"No!" she shook her head, "No, sir! I...I don't like this-"

"Just do it." Yzak said, combing the dye through his hair. After ruffling through her room, Shiho had found the box of instant black hair dye. It would take a while to wash out of his hair, but it was better then being experimented on in a Blue Cosmos science base.

"Come out and lets see how you look." Yzak stepped out of the bathroom, admiring his new, straight, jet black hair. Picking up the black leather jacket, he slipped it over his shoulders slowly. He wore a black tank under it, and a pair of slightly tight, black pants. Making a face at himself in the mirror...he looked like some sort of teenage punk rocker.

"No! I refuse! I would rather be tortured and put in front of a firing squad!" she yelled at him, "You have lost your mind!"

"Major Hahnenfuss, we don't have a lot of time! This is the best we can do!" he roared from the bathroom, "Get out here now-"

Yzak felt his blood run cold as there was a loud bang on the door.

"This is OMNI! Open the door!"

He took in a deep breath, tied up his hair so a few strands fell in front of his face, and he gripped the doorknob.

* * *

The door opened, and the three soliders stared at him, trying to look as intimidating as possible. Instantly analyzing his enemies with a trained eye, all three of them were easy enough for him to take on, even in his injured state.

"Can I help you?" Yzak asked them, despite the weird looks they were giving him.

"We are conducting a search for a dangerous fugitive in the area. We are under orders to search every residence."

"Be my guest." Yzak pushed the door open the rest of the way, "Careful of the room on the right, my girl won't be happy if you barge in on her while she's dressing."

He walked over to the counter, and leaned on it, trying to look indifferent as theywandered around the apartment. Hopefully, with the big leather jacket on, they would not notice that he was covered with bandages.

"As procedure, I must as for your information." one of the officers stepped up to him, "What's your name, age, occupation, and the information of everyone else that reside here?"

"Tatsuya Shishou." Yzak replied, "Age 20, occupation..." Yzak smirked, "...that's for me to know and you to find out."

The officer glarred at him, "This isn't a game, kid." He then frowned, glancing at the picture of Yzak Jule on the board he carried, "You know..." he leaned closer to Yzak, "...you bare quite a resemblence to the one we're looking for."

_Oh shit_.

"You're hair isn't the right color, but your eyes are." the officer smirked, folding his arms, "Age, height...everything. Are you hiding something from us, Shishou-san?"

Yzak glarred at him, "You offend me, sir."

The other two officers were staring at him now, the same devilish smirk on their faces. Yzak could feel his heartbeat race as panic began to sink into his mind. Looking frantically around, he was about to open his mouth to argue, when he heard the door to Shiho's room open.

"Don't mind him, officers." she replied from the hallway, "Tatsuya-kun is just like that. After all the alteration surgery he's had, it doesn't surprise me."

Everyone turned, and the only sound that was made was the dropping of the clipboard in the officer's hands. Even Yzak's mouth fell open as she left her room.

Shiho stood in the halllway, hands on her hips as she leaned on her left leg. Her long, brown hair was bound up on her head with an assortment of combs anddiamond hairsticks. A pair of long, lace gloves were on both of her arms that matched the red and black leotard she wore, as well as the pair of leather calf-high boots that strapped to garders around her legs. There was a thick coat of black lipstick over her lips along with the rest of the light black make-up on her face. It made her skin look pale as snow and even more beautiful.

Yzak had never seen such a gorgeous woman in his entire life. _Was this the same Hahnenfuss that worked in the military for him? Who was this new woman standing in front of him?_

Walking over to the leader of the group, she brushed a ringed hand over the side of his cheek, stopping on his lips.

"Such soft skin for a solider." she smiled dangerously at him, "You don't see such men around here often. Tell me, Leutinant, are all soliders as handsome as you are?"

He gapped at her. Yzak was sure that the solider was about ready to die of a heart attack.

"Wh-Who are y-you?" he stammered.

"I am me." she giggled, "But the people in this town generally call me Blossum."

'_A hooker_...', Yzak heard one of the soliders whispering. He felt himself tense when they murmured something about '..._could get top dollar on the base_...'. The little game of pretend was working, but Yzak positioned his hands so he could easily reach for his gun. If any of the soliders tried to hurt her, he would protect her, and his freedom and safey be damned.

"Easy, Blossum-chan." Yzak smirked, "You wouldn't want to permanently damage our guests, would you?"

"Of course not. I'm not that cruel." Shiho laughed, walking through the room, "Well, is there anything else we could help you with, gentlemen? As you can probably think, I'm already late for work, and I am always _VERY_ busy..."

"Our apologies, mame." the Leutinant waved a hand through the air, "We will excuse ourselves."

"Hn." Shiho folded her hands behind her back, a soft smile on her lips, "Next time you're around, drop by. I'll give you a discount for being so nice."

Yzak was pretty close to laughing as he saw the other man turned completely red, and then he hurridly shoved the other two soliders out of the room. As the door closed, there was silence in the room. Shiho stared at the closed to a moment, not saying anything. After a few seconds of dead quiet, her legs gave out from under her, and she fell to the floor.

Yzak ran foreward as she sunk into his arms. She was shaking violently, and almost emediatly Shiho buried her face in his chest.

"It's okay." he wrapped his arms around her, not caring that his wounds hurt, "It's okay...you're safe..."

"Oh my god...what did I just do?" she said, her face completely pale. "I just...just...I have never been so scared in my entire life...what if they had-"

"I would have never let them. You saved us both." he smiled at her, running his fingers though her hair, "I thought we were caught for a moment. If you hadn't done that, I would have been dead by now."

Shiho looked up at him, tears in the corners of her eyes. She was still shaking, but had calmed down somewhat. He laid a hand gently on her face,

"It's okay." he said, "You're safe now. You're always protecting me, let me protect you once in a while."

She closed her eyes, throwing her arms around him, melting into his chest.

"I'm tired." she said, "I'm tired of always being afraid. Why can't things be like they used to be?"

Yzak buried his face in her hair, "I don't regret anything."

Shiho gasped, looking up at him, "What do you mean?"

"Yes, many have died and life has been hard." he said, "But I wouldn't have traded these last years with you for anything."

Yzak smiled at her, and then helped her up. She did not know what to say to him.

"Why don't you get changed, and then we'll have something to eat? I don't know about you, but I'm starving." he said, heading towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To have a chat with the mayor." he said, "I think there's something going down, and he may need my help after the soliders leave."

"Take care, sir."

Yzak stopped at the door, and then glanced back at her. He cheeks turned slightly pink as he stared at her dressed in the stripper's uniform. The apartment they lived in used to belong to a few girls that worked at the bar, and was great safehouse for two run-away ZAFT soliders. Shiho Hahnenfuss was never really the type to parade around in girl's clothes to flirt with men, so for her to do something like this...it must have been very hard on her.

"Say..."

"Yes, sir?" she said.

Yzak's eyes lingered on her, and it was beginning to make her nervous.

"You look good."

She gasped, her whole face turned red, "Th-Thank you...sir...although, I-"

Shiho froze as she felt him pull her into his arms, tilting her face up to his by her chin, he gently brushed his lips over hers. It was so light that she could not tell if he had actually done it or not for a moment.

He let go of her, and opened the door.

"How many times have I told you to call me Yzak?" he sighed, "I'll be back in a moment."

Yzak closed the door behind him. Shiho stood still, unable to move. She had just been kissed by her superior officer.

Surprisingly, she did not feel guilty in the least.

* * *

Hultz sunk into his desk, and let out a loud sigh. OMNI was gone now, and the town was back to it original self. It was common knowledge that any town could be searched at any moment, but this was the first unannounced search in Windside.

"That was a close call." a voice replied from the shadows.

Hultz chuckled, "I knew that you would be comming to see me." he glanced in the corner of his office, "Captain."

Yzak stepped out, his hands in his pockets.

"I see that you are well." Hultz folded his arms, "I was worried for a moment, I hardly recognize you with that hair. How is the missy?"

"She's alright, a little shaken, but we're both safe." Yzak shrugged, "Thank you for sheltering the two of us. I know it brings the potential for a lot more trouble."

"I, and the rest of Windside, owes you a big debt." he said, "We have no problem protecting the two of you with your lives. However..."

"However?"

"There was one thing I was wondering if I could ask you, Captain Jule."

"Anything."Yzak leaned against the wall.

"Once this war is over, and you return to PLANT...that you and Shiho-san come back and visit us. Maybe you and I can finally sit down and have that drink."

"Deal." Yzak chuckled, "So, did the solider say anything to you?"

"Not really." Hultz said, "But while he was busy being distracted, I had Othniel hack their ship's supercomputer. Gideon was able to crack the coded data, and Deborah was about to try and connect with the OMNI supercomputer back on their main ship, but they left before she could get a full connection."

"That's fine." Yzak smiled, taking the data disk from him, "This will be very helping. I'll have Shiho analyz it right away."

"Shiho?"

Yzak stopped a moment, and his cheeks turned pink, "Major Hahnenfuss."

"Don't sweat it, Jule, if you two have been living this long together and haven't fallen in love yet, I would start to think that you both had a mental imbalance."

Yzak laughed at this remark, and put the disk in his jacket pocket.

"Thank you, Hultz-san." he nodded his head, "And thank your operatives for me."

"No problem."

Yzak left the office, walking down the hallway of the city hall.

Windside had a dark secret, one that Blue Cosmos had never caught onto. Probably due to the abilities of their skilled, underground technology hackers.

Heading down the dusty street to the apartment, holding a bag of jelly buns in hand, he looked up at the sky. The memories of the past flooded his mind. Painful, bloody, dark past memories that haunted him, Shiho, and every other townsperson living in Windside. For a second his felt his breath catch in his chest, and guilt began to consume him again. Guilt that was always the cause of his nightmares, and a guilt that he would never forget as long as he lived.

Snow began to fall slowly from the sky as Yzak began to run the memories through his head.

* * *

Sitting in the captain's chair on the bridge, Yzak took a report from the sargent, and read over the orders.

"What are they making us do now?" Yzak sighed, looking slightly irritated, "They want us to investigate a backwater town like this?"

"I swear..." Dearka stood on the right side of Yzak's chair, "...they give us all this training, and then all we end up doing is other people's dirty work."

"You're just put out because they refused you vaccation." Shiho walked onto deck, still dressed in her flightsuit, "Don't worry, Elthman, Miriallia-san will still be there a month from now."

"Please stop making fun of me." he folded his arms, "At least I'm in a relationship. You and Yzak have been working together for so long, the two of you should just-"

"Major Elthman!" Shiho gasped.

"Now children, that's enough."Yzak glanced at Major Hahnenfuss, "Report?"

"All testing is finished. DEEP Arms is ready for combat, the other suits as well." she smiled, "Everything is functioning at top capacity."

"Good." Yzak nodded, turning back to the papers with his orders from ZAFT. "Well, we probably won't have to fight, this is only a simple scouting mission. Mr. Mitsuru, please find a place to land the ship. I think Major Elthman, Major Hahnenfuss, and I are going to go on a little walk for a while."

"Aye sir." he helmsman replied.

"Walk?" Shiho ran her fingers through her hair.

"I could use the exercise. I've been stuck on this damn ship for so long." Dearka sighed, "Where's the lucky place, bro?"

Yzak looked over the papers, "Windside."

* * *

_For a while, this story is going to follow Yzak, Shiho, and Dearka. I'm getting a little bit of block over the Athrun-Cagali side of the story. I had an idea of what I wanted to do, and then I forgot what it was. Oh well._

_I hope you don't mind. Eventually, all the characters are going to come together so it actually does hold merit in the story. I originally was planning in bring in Yzak and Shiho later on, but that's okay. _

_Just to add on a side note, Shiho and Yzak don't actually work ata bar. Since the city pays for them, they basically don't have to do anything. Once in a while, Shiho does informational intelligence. Just to clerify that to anyone who might actually be thinking that she's working as a stripper. She's not. _

_Thanks again for reading. The next update will hopefully be soon._

_Arigato_

_Lilith_


	5. Chapter 5

_Wrote this on a whim. It's a little short, but it should be okay. This, and the next 1 or 2 chapters, will be about Dearka's, Yzak's, and Shiho's past. Then the story will resume itself._

_I hope you like it ;D_

_Disclaimer: I do no own Gundam Seed or Seed Destiny_

* * *

Yzak ruffled through his closet for his civlian clothes. 

The Voltaire had landed 5 miles out of the Windside city limits, and Yzak had placed Commander Thomas Bjorkland in his place till he returned. His second officer was a very observant man, and Yzak trusted him to keep the ship in top form.

He took out a pair of black slack, a black shirt, and his trenchcoat. It was cold outside, and Yzak really did not feel like freezing on the way to the town. Slipping the two guns into the holster straps on his chest, he clasped the coat shut, and left his room.

Other then the guns, he only took his ID and cell with him. He would be back in 6 hours.

Dearka and Shiho were already waiting in the hallway. Shiho was dressed in a pair of flare jeans, a sweater, and she had a blue coat over it. As long as Yzak had known her, he had never seen her wear a dress. Hahnenfuss was very conservative with her clothes, but he did not having anything against it.

Dearka had a brown coat over a grey shirt and jeans. It looked like he had thrown on something at the last minute. When Dearka wanted to look nice, he looked nice. But in some situations when he was trying to look normal, he looked like any other guy his age.

Yzak, on the other hand, no matter what he did he always stood out.

"Ready to go?" Dearka replied.

"Yeah." Yzak checked the phone quickly, "Let's go for a drive."

* * *

Bjorkland sat in the chair, looking at the main screen. 

"Keep a close eye on the sensors." Yzak told him, "There are a lot of ships in the area, you want to be careful of enemies."

"Aye sir."

"Take care of my ship, Tom."

"Yes sir." he smiled.

The screen blinked off, and the launch ramp opened for the jeep. Dearka drove it out of the ship and down the road.

"I thought you said we were walking." Shiho said, holding a hand in the air to sheild her face.

Yzak shrugged, "Little details, Major."

"So, Yzak, what's on your mind?" Dearka asked.

"Hm?"

"There must be a reason that you want to go to this place." Dearka replied, "You wouldn't want to go there if you didn't know something special about it."

Yzak chuckled, "You know me too well, Dearka."

The Buster pilot gave him an exasperated look, and went back to driving.

"There are rumors." Yzak said, "Of the Windside Hackers.

"Hackers?" Shiho looked at him.

"Hackers that not even ZAFT can stop." he said, "ZAFT has been trying to solicitate help from Orb for a while to send some highly skilled technicians to stop them, but Orb refused. I think this town may be where they reside."

"What do you want with them, sir?"

"I want to find out Djibril's plans. But that's depends on how willing they are." he said.

Yzak frowned, _something felt strange_.

Dearka sighed, "Well, that's rather comforting."

A rumble. Yzak looked around at the landscape, he was not imaging it, right? As he looked around, Shiho suddenly grabbed his collar.

"What?" he said, "What is-"

The whole eastern land was...Yzak stared, "...what the..."

Dearka seemed to recognize it sooner then the other two.

There was a shockwave coming towards them. Whatever it came from, it was massive. It engulfed the eastern lands with lightening speed, and was coming right towards them.

"Oh hell!" Dearka shouted, suddenly speeding up the jeep.

"Where did it come from!" Shiho yelled, her voice arleady being masked by the roar of the wave.

Yzak looked at her, seeing her hair blow madly around her. She was not buckled in.

He reached out his arms, pulling her into his seat. It was then that he blanked out.

* * *

Opening his eyes hurt...or rather...eye. The other one was wrapped in bandages. At the time, he did not even know how he regained thought, and it took him even a minute to remember how to breath. Taking this point to survey himself, he went down the checklist. 

He tried moving his fingers. His right had moved, the other was bandaged so tightly it was going numb. His arm was probably broken, but it was still there and he could feel it.

He could not feel his legs though.

"Ah, looks like someone finally woke up."

His glance strayed over to the man that sat next to him. It was a middle-aged man, some grey hair, pale face, dressed in a somewhat dusty suit. He smiled,

"It's an amazing that you're alive, young man." he said, "You and you're friends are Coordiantors, yes?"

The teenager said nothing. Most likely it was because his chest hurt so much he was afraid it would be painful to speak.

"Ran Hultz." he said, "I'm the mayor of this lovely town of Windside. Do you remember who you are?"

The boy opened his mouth. Hultz frowned,the boywas probablynot a day over 19 or 20.

"...I..."

"It's alright, son. No one here is going to hurt you or your friends."

_Friends..._

"Are they...alright?" he managed to whisper, despite his scratchy voice. He was almost afraid to ask.

"They are fine, I suppose if you want to call it that." Hultz said, "The blonde gentleman has been awake for a day, the young miss however took a lot of blast like yourself. She'll be out for a little while longer, I suppose. The doctor said that they'll both recover. All their limbs and all of that. The blonde one is Dearka Elthman, is it? He's even up and about once."

That was Dearka's raw strength for you.

"...thank you..." he sighed with relief.

"You were hit pretty bad. When we found you, you were half dead."

"Wh...what happend?"

Hultz was quiet a moment, and then stood up. Turning on the radio, the boy listened intently to the announcer.

"_...state of emergancy...many countries destroyed...3 billion lost..."_

"The cannon was fired on earth." Hultz replied, "Djbril attacked earth."

His heart sunk as he watched the young man's eye grow wide and then close painfully. Raising a bandaged hand, he laid it on his bruised face.

"You can stay here as long as you need." Hultz said, "But before that, I would still like to know your name."

He looked at the elder man, "Yzak. Yzak Jule."

"Well, well, Mr. Jule...this is quite the honor." he smiled, "I never thought I would have acelebrity in my town."

"The feeling is mutual...sir..." Yzak coughed.

"Take it easy." he said, "Rest, and we'll discuss a solution to this delimma when you're better."

"The girl...Shiho Hahnenfuss...please tell me the moment she wakes."

"It's a promise." Hultz said, "Now rest."

Yzak sighed out loud to himself, staring at the ceiling again.

He could feel his legs now.

* * *

It took a few days for him to actually gain enough strength to sit up. When Dearka learned that Yzak was well enough, he found the dark-skinned Coordiantor limping into his room. Pulling up a chair next to his bedside, both boys let out a depressing sigh. 

"What are we going to do now, Yzak?"

"We need to get in contact with the ship as soon as possible. But to do that, I need my cell and they won't give it to me."

"I guess we'll just have to call them when we're better. I'm sure the ship is safe with Tom."

"I guess." Yzak said, "What about Major Hahnenfuss?"

"She was hit bad." Dearka replied, "Hasn't woken up once, even though you were the worse off out of all of us."

"Dearka..." Yzak strayed off his thoughts a bit, "This is going to cause a bad war. One worse then any war."

"I know."

* * *

It was dark out, and Yzak still sat up in bed. He really was not tired at all. His thoughts were running threw his head so much that he could not keep a clear mind. 

Throwing off the sheets, he made a face. He legs were bandaged, but he could still see that they were cut up. Slowly moving out of bed for the first time in a week, he touched the cold floor. Finding a robe hanging on the edge of the bed, he pulled it over his shoulders, and lifted himself up.

He was weak from all the rest. Yzak clung to the door as he stumbled from the room, trying despertly to get down the hallway without waking anyone. Seeing a door next to his room, his pushed off from the wall and pratically collapsed on the floor outside the door. He froze a minute, listening to see if anyone heard.

No one came.

He pulled himself up by the doorknob, and opened it.

Shiho lay in the bed.

Entering the room as quietly as he could, he shut the door behind him. Flinging himself to the bed post, he sunk to the floor at the base of her bed, stopping a moment to catch his breath. His head was dizzy, and he doubted that he would be able to make a return venture to his room for a while.

He froze, hearing a soft moan came from the bed he was leaning against.

Yzak pulled himself to his feet again, and sat in the chair next to her bed. Reaching a hand foreward he touched her hand. It was cold.

"Hahnenfuss?" he whispered, taking her hand into his. Her beautiful face was bruised, and her left eye was swollen. She flinched slightly as he touched her, "Hahnen-"

Her eyes opened, and she looked up at him. Yzak stared at her a moment, and then found himself relieved. Shiho moved slightly so she could see him. Her eyes looked at his injured form, and she found that she could not hold heremotions in anymore.

Yzak watched as she rolled on her side slowly, holding onto his hand, and she burst into tears. She pressed it to the side of her face, and he could feel her entire body shaking. Bending over, ignoring that fact that he was dizzy and in pain, and gathered her into his arms. Her face buried in his chest, her hands gripping onto the fabric of his robe.

_What were they going to do now?

* * *

_

Dearka walked threw the hallways of the hospital. Yzak had told him to wake him up earlier so they could talk about what to do next. Knocking on Yzak's door, no one answered on the other side.

"Yzak?"

He opened the door, and made a face. Yzak was no longer there. Seeing the blankets pulled back, he noticed skid marks in the dust on the floor. Following them down the hallway, they stopped at Shiho Hahnenfuss' room.

Dearka stared at the door confused as he slowly turned the knob. Peeking in the room, he smiled to himself before closing the door again and walking off. He would let them sleep a little while longer, and then get Yzak up before the nurses caught him.

Yzak lay on the bed next to her, sheets pulled around them. Her face was buried in his chest, and his arms wrapped loosely around her. Opening his eyes slightly, he stared down at Shiho's head. If anyone saw them like this, he could get in a lot of trouble.

But at the moment, he did not care.

Closing his eyes, he rested his head on top of hers, and fell back to sleep.

* * *

_I'm back from Germany :P I hope everyone's summer is going well. I'll update as soon as I can!_

_Arigato _

_Lilith_


	6. Chapter 6

_Sorry for the lack of updates. It's good to know that people like my story :P_

**Note:** italics mean that the story is talking about the past. Regular print means that the story is set in the present. This may be a little confusing, but I could not think of a better way to do it. As the story goes, more and more of the past will be talked about, so don't worry if you don't catch something. It'll come up eventually :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Seed Destiny

* * *

_Shiho opened her eyes, looking at the blank spot next to her pillow. It was a good thing she still had a slight fever, because then no one would suspect the reason why her cheeks were flushed._

_Her hand swept over the pillow once, and then she slowly sat up. Her long hair fell over her shoulders as she stared down at the spot where Yzak Jule had fallen asleep. When she woke the next morning, he had been gone, but she distinctly remembered breaking down in his arms, and then he fell asleep with her._

_The sheets still smelled like him._

_Looking around the room, she tried to find some other form of evidence of his presence. There was nothing left in the room. He was trained in stealth, and it was apparent that he had superior attention to detail even in an injured state._

_But still, she almost wished he had still been there._

_The door opened, and the nurse came in, distracting her from her thoughts.

* * *

_

_Dearka sat in the mess hall with Yzak, who madly attacking the tray of food in front of him._

_"Dude, Yzak..."_

_"Dude, nothing, I'm starving." Yzak grabbed the glass of water, and took a large gulp. Dearka let out a sigh, and remembered that his captain had been laying flat on his back for a while. It was not his fault that his two friends were not as resilliant as Dearka was._

_"So, anything new on our mission?" Dearka asked._

_Yzak shrugged, "I was going to meet with Hultz today to ask him about it. It seems that the borders around here are crawling with Blue Cosmos soliders. We're going to be stuck here for a while."_

_"What about the Voltaire?"_

_"Commander Bjorkland is skilled enough in problem solving to protect my ship." he said, "If our luck holds out, he either reached Orb or Carpentaria by now."_

_"Hopefully."_

_"Don't make me worry, Dearka, I've already got enough on my mind."_

_Dearka smirked, "Like Hahnenfuss?"_

_Yzak coughed in the glass of water, almost spitting it across the table, "Wh-What?"_

_"Don't bullshit me, Jule, you like her." Dearka said, "I saw you this morning."_

_Yzak blushed, "You...you saw-"_

_Dearka smiled big at him, "Yzak-chan has finally found himself a girlfriend."_

_"God, shut up!" Yzak roared a little too loudly. A few people stared at them, and letting out a deep breath, he calmed himself, "If you say anything-"_

_"I won't." Dearka shrugged, "My girlfriend isn't even a Coordinator. I'd be a hypocrite if I poked fun at you for fratrinizing with a fellow commrade."_

_"You make it sound so...illegal." Yzak made a face at him, stuffing a piece of bread in his mouth. He was starving. It was not like that were not feeding him enough, it was just that he had either been too tired or too sick to eat. Now he was making up for lost time._

_"It IS technically illegal."_

_Yzak let out a sigh, this was a never ending argument._

_"So, how is she holding up?"_

_"Hahnefuss?" Yzak took another sip of water, "She's doing well. Still a little sick, but awake. The nurse says they'll watch her for a little while longer, then see what happens from there. After this I'm going to clean up and go visit the mayor. You comming?"_

_"Yeah." Dearka shrugged, "Not like I have anything else to do."_

_"Good." Yzak stood, "Let's go then."_

* * *

Something snapped his attention back from his walk down memory lane. There was an odd feeling in the air, and despite the fact that he was warm in the jacket he wore, he shivered. It was not a good feeling. 

Deciding that he had wasted enough time spacing out, he returned to his walk back to the apartment. Shiho was waiting for him to come back, and he knew that she would appreciate the jelly buns that he now carried with him.

Unlocking the door, the television was on, and the door to her bedroom opened. She was dressed back into a shirt and jeans. Looking at him a moment, stunned, she then let out a breath.

"You startled me a moment, with that black hair of yours."

Yzak chuckled, "It'll wash out after a couple of days. I brought jelly buns."

She grinned, "Wow, what's the occasion?"

"Not being dead."

"Good call." she said, taking one out of the bag and shoved it in her mouth. After chewing a few times, she retreated to the kitchen for something to drink.

Yzak sat at the counter, pulling off his jacket. Watching her move about the kitchen, he smiled,

"I'll be jealous of whoever marries you." he said absently, "You'll make a good wife."

There was a loud clang as she almost dropped a pot cover. Looking at him, her cheeks were bright red.

"Sir-"

"Yzak."

She stared at his curiously, "Pardon?"

"Yzak. Call me Yzak."

"But, that wouldn't be a good idea. You're my commanding officer."

"I just kissed you." he said, "I refuse to let a woman I've kissed call me sir."

"But-"

He gave an exasperated sigh and leaned on the counter, "If I slept with you would you still call me sir? Because honestly, that would be just plain weird."

Now she had stopped breathing, what...what had he just said? Her cheeks were so bright red, that he raised a hand and laid it on her forhead.

"You're a little feverish, you alright?"

"F-Fine..." she stepped away, backing towards the stove. She turned around and continued with what she was doing. Yzak folded his arms and watched her.

"I wonder how everyone is doing."

The thought startled her slightly, "I'm sure everyone is okay."

"Oh, that reminds me, I might visit the hackers tommorrow. We need to get out of this town before we bring these people more trouble."

"I agree." she said saddly. The hackers. They were all very nice people, but they brought up some wary memories for her. She could still remember the look on Yzak's face back at the festival last year when Gideon had leaned over and kissed her unexpectedly. He looked as if he would rip the blond-man's arms off.

Not to mention that she did not get along with Deborah.

Yzak made a face, "You sound upset." _God, was she that transparent?_

"No, not at all." she said.

It was silent in the kitchen. Yzak had lived with her long enough to know when she was upset. Shiho got really quiet, deny every attempt he made to try and figure out what the problem was, and then she would shut herself up in her room for a while. Sometimes he wished that she was throw a tantrum, scream, or even break something...then he could figure out what she was thinking.

Cold wind was comming in from the outside, and he got up to shut the windows.

* * *

_Yzak walked down the long hallway, following Hultz. Dearka trailed behind him, making sure to watch his captain to decide to moves to make. The silver-haired young man also looked like he was going to drop, and Dearka was ready to catch him if he did._

_"You can only get into the area with my approval." Mayor Hultz replied, reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a gold pocketwatch. Taking off the back, there was a small gold key, which he used to stick in the doorknob. It was an old, dirty-looking door. Yzak did not think it looked interesting in particular, it was like all the other doors._

_The wooden door opened to reveal another door._

_It was metal, and there was a glowing keypad in the front. Turning to block the keys, Hultz silently entered the code, and the door whisked open._

_Wires, metal beams, and people shot out in every direction. There was shouting, and talking from down below._

_Dearka whistled._

_It was like a whole underground complex. People were working, building, looking over charts and clipboards. Yzak was pretty sure that the Voltaire could fit in just the enterance._

_"This used to be an underground cave. Before Bloody Valentine, funds from multiple factions in the area were used to build this. It is the first joint efftort to protect this area from any wars." Hultz said, "You two are the first outsiders to be shown this."_

_"I am honored." Yzak surveyed the area, it was more amazing then anything he had ever seen._

_How exactly did he convince Hultz to let him see this?_

_He asked._

_Strange? It was simpler then he thought. Not questions, not interrogations, Yzak had simply walked up to the mayor and ASKED to meet the three legendary hackers of Windside. Yzak suspected that Hultz thought that he and his two comrades were worthy enough, but the point was that Yzak had been able to earn their trust._

_"Come, I'll introduce you."_

_They followed him to a glass office that sat in the middle of the complex. Cabels, wires, and metal connected to the office walls, and inside Yzak could see the compters and filing cabinats. Hultz knocked on the door, and a tall man opened it. He was taller then Dearka, but thin, and had long black hair. Part of his bangs hung in front of his face, the rest of his hair was bound at his neck, and desended down to his waist. It was tied with a black tie. He wore a small headset, a glass piece sticking in front of his left eye. His green eyes gazed at them, and he frowned._

_"Are these the ZAFT soliders?"_

_"Two of them. The other is still recovering." Hultz said, "This it Othniel Heinreich. He is the leader of everything that happends down here, and is the most talented compter operater alive."_

_"Honestly, no need for praise, Hultz-san. Welcome to Windside." Othniel shook Yzak's hand, "Captian Jule and Major Elthman."_

_Dearka and Yzak exchanged looks._

_"I already checked your backgrounds." Othneil tapped his headset, "Eye scan."_

_Yzak caulked an eyebrow at him, "Fascinating."_

_"Indeed." he said, "Please, come in."_

_Closing the door behind the three men, there was a suddenly squeal that caught Yzak and Dearka offgaurd._

_"Oh my god!" she yelled, "It's you! It's really Yzak Jule!"_

_A short girl with brown, curly hair that stopped mid-back, bounded up to the ZAFT captain who was now regaurding her as if she were an attack dog._

_"And you are?" Yzak asked._

_"Deborah. Deborah Mills." she grinned, "This is so amazing! I've never gotten to meet an actual celebrity!"_

_"Well, I'm not really-"_

_Yzak yelped as she threw her arms around him, kissing his cheek._

_"Welcome to Windside, Yzak." she stepped back._

_"Deborah." Othniel glared at her, "Sit down. You're going to scare our guests."_

_"I'm sorry!" she said, "I just got so excited."_

_Yzak had frozen in his spot, not really sure what to do. __Dearka nudged him, and Yzak gave him 'I'm okay' look. Deborah looked at her superior indignently,_

_"Where's Gideon? That lazy dork is never around when we need him." she said, "I'll bet he's out gambling again."_

_"He finishes he work faster then you and I, and he works nightshift." Othniel said, pulling chairs out for everyone, "Let's just hope he's not in trouble..."

* * *

_

_Shiho stumbled down the hallway, looking for the bathroom. She needed a shower badly, and no one was around. There were others that needed more medical attention then she did, so she did not call for anyone. Instead, she decided to venture out on her own._

_"Are you alright?" a voice said, a low baritone, "You look a little lost."_

_She turned around, and blushed. He was tall, taller then most men she had known. His blond hair spiked slightly in front of his face, and he had deep, blue eyes._

_"Um, yes, I am a little-" she yelped as she tripped, falling forward into the outstretched arms of the tall, blond man._

_"Here, I'll take you." he scooped her up in his arms, "Where too?"_

_She blushed again, "Showers."_

_"You're wish is my command, mi'lady." he said, walking down the hall, "My name is Gideon. Gideon Aoi."_

_"Shiho Hahnenfuss." she murmured, looking at him shyly. Of course his eyes looked like they would suck her into them. They were almost as blue as Captain Jule's-_

_She found herself blushing even more._

_"Well, Miss Hahnenfuss, here is our stop." he said, stopping in front of the women's showers. He brushed her hair from her eyes and..._

_...kissed her cheek._

_"Take care, mi'lady." he said._

_Shiho stared at him, her mouth open as he smiled and disappeared down the hallway. Laying a hand on her cheek that he had just kissed, she found herself dazed._

_Who was that?

* * *

_

"I know what you're upset about." he said, "It's because of Miss Mills, isn't it?"

"I'm not upset over anything."

"Don't kid me, Shiho, I know you saw her kiss me last year."

"I didn't see anything!" she roared, slamming the fork so hard onto the counter she almost broke it.

He frowned, "It's not like anything happend. Besides, it looked like you were having a grand old time with Mr. Aoi, hm? Looked like you were enjoying that kiss a little too much-"

Yzak never raised his voice, and never screamed. But it took all his willpower to not shriek outloud as the same fork sailed past his face and stuck into the wall.

"You take that back!" she yelled, "You don't know what the hell you're talking about!"

"Oh?" he glared at her, "I don't? He said he was in love with you."

"So! What about it?"

It was the first time they had ever fought like this. Obviously, it was old feelings. Something they had not discussed that had been stirring underneath hidden feelings from both of them.Yzak, however, was accustomed to starting arguments and finishing them. He was not going to let Shiho win this one.

"Well, if he's so damn great why didn't you stay with him?"

"Because I'm in love with you!"

There was instant silence. The other metal untensil, a big spoon, slid from her hand and clattered to the floor. Covering her mouth, she looked like she had just said something horrible. Turning around she headed towards her room, but before she could reach the door, he grabbed her arms and pinned her against the wall.

"Let me go!"

"No."

"You can't just hold me! You don't-"

"I'll never let you go."

She opened her eyes, there were tears in them. There was no way that she could make up for the momentary lapse in judgement. Looking at him, she shook her head,

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. I was just angry, and it-"

He kissed her, cutting off her sentence. Slowly letting go of her arms, he parted her lips, tilting her head back to get a better angel. Pulling her into his arms, he felt her arms slide over his neck. Before she knew it, he had picked her up off her feet, and was carrying her into his bedroom. Dumping her on the soft sheets, he trailed his lips down her neck, slowly unbuttoning her shirt as he went.

"I'm sorry." he whispered, "I said some things I didn't mean."

"So did I." she managed to get out.

All she could hear was his fast breathing, reaching over his back, she pulled the shirt over his head. His wounds were mostly healed, she would be able to take off the bandages at any time. Letting her arm rest on the edge of the bed, the shirt slid from her fingers to the floor.

There was nothing stopping him. She surely was not going too.

* * *

_I've finally managed to update all of my stories, woo7! This means that I'll be able to work on my Bleach story for a while. Owari probably won't be updated for a week or too._

_I'm really happy that everyone seems to be enjoying this story. I'm glad!_

_Arigato_

_Lilith_


	7. Chapter 7

_Here's the update. Review and tell me what you think!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Seed Destiny_

---------------------------------------------------------------

Lacus opened her eyes, seeing the moonlight coming in from the deck doors. Her husband was fast asleep next to her, completely exhausted from working that day. Honestly, she never really understood where Kira got all his mental energy. He could work for hours and hours, and still be cohearant.

The baby was crying down the hall. She heard a grunt from Kira, knowing that he had just gone to bed almost an hour ago, she got up. Kissing his forehead, she pulled back the covers, and padded gently down the hall to the next room. Closing the door behind her, she lifted the tiny boy out of the blankets and rocked him. He was light, mabye a little too light, but the doctor said that he was healthy and that was all she wanted to know.

Looking out the window, Akira calmed down, and seemed to be just as interested in the outside as she was. Letting out a sigh, she leaned against the door and slid to the floor.

"You're daddy is overworking himself again, Akira. What are we going to do with him, hm?" she giggled softly, "When you're grown up, you're going to be just like him, aren't you? Oh my, two Kiras...I don't know what I'll do."

Giggling to herself again, she pulled the blankets closer around the boy. Leaning her head back, she frowned,

"What _are_ we going to do?" she whispered, "We're in hiding, how are we going to be able to do anything here?"

Akira stared at her. Like he understood what she was saying, but did not know how to respond to her. Instead he just watched, taking in her every move. He was so observant that it made her nervous sometimes. She had expected some different things from her child, knowing that Kira was genetically the ultimate Coordinator, but Lacus still had no idea _what_ things to expect.

"What do you think, Akira?" she asked, "Do you think it's time the we did something about it?"

He stared at her.

Lacus smiled and kissed his head, "Go to sleep, dear, you're tired like your daddy is."

Standing up, she lowered him into the bed, covered him up, kissed his forehead again, and left. As she silently closed the door, she leaned against it, staring at the floor.

They were all running.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Entering her own room, Kira opened an eye.

"He's alright." she smiled, "Just needed to be held."

He nodded, and rolled back over on his chest. Lacus could not help but smile at him as she slipped back into bed with him.

"Kira?"

"Mm?" he replied, half-awake.

"I think that mabye we should try to contact the Eternal tommorrow."

"Why?"

Lacus stared at the ceiling and then rolled over on her side.

"We've been hiding here too long." she said, "I'm worried about everyone, and I'm tired of just staying here while people die."

"If Cosmos catches you-"

"I know the risks, Kira, I am a soldier like you."

Kira sat up on his elbows, wide awake, "You are the mother of my son."

Staring into his dead serious eyes, she smiled saddly, "I don't know...do you think I can run a warship, and command a fleet of the most powerful ships in existence with a baby on my back?"

"I think you're wonderful and you can do anything." he cracked a smiled, "Maybe Akira should stay here though."

"You're poor mother." Lacus shook her head.

"She doesn't mind. The only thing I'm worried about is that she'll spoil him. We'll come back and she'll have done something ostentatious like bought him a car or something."

"Caridad-san is just happy to have a grandson." Lacus nodded, laying a hand on his face, "We'll talk about this tommorrow. Besides, Athrun and Cagali are coming to visit, we should discuss this with them too."

He nodded, giving her a quick kiss and laying back on his chest, "Night."

Lacus lay her head on his shoulder, "Good night, Kira."

---------------------------------------------------------------

_Shiho sat in her room, at the table, eating her dinner. It had been a few days and she was finally able to walk under her own power without keeling over. She felt a lot better now that nurses were not hovering over her every second. Captain Jule and Major Elthman were gone frequently, but they came to visit her, to brief her of the situtation, and to keep her company. There was not a whole lot she could do, seeing that she was stuck in the room by herself. _

_Finishing her meal, she stood up, wrapping a shawl around her shoulders. She had not had a chance to look around yet, and Hultz had finally given them permission to wander freely. Leaving the room, she took a left down the hall._

_People passed her once in a while, not giving her a second look. Not seeing anyone she recognized, she assumed that she, Jule, and Elthman were the only one picked up. Mabye that was a good sign. Maybe that told her that the Voltaire was somewhere safe._

_Maybe._

_Maybe was not good enough._

_Pulling a silding, glass door open, she found herself on the second floor balcony. It overlooked the wide, blank land around the outskirts of the little town. There was grass, a few bushes, one or two main roads leading to and from the town, and that was it. _

_"Chilly? It's supposed to be warmer tommorrow."_

_Who was that?_

_Turning around, she spotted the same blond-haired guy she met a few days ago. He leaned against the doorframe, a brillant smile on his face._

_"Mr. Aoi."_

_"Ah, you remembered me, that's a good sign." Gideon replied, "But you should call me Gideon."_

_Shiho looked at him suspiciously, "But I really don't know anything about you."_

_"True enough." he took off his long coat and set it on her shoulders, "Up and about, hm? Would you like a tour? I'm off duty for a while."_

_"Sure." she shrugged, she did not have anything else to do. Turning towards him, he smiled at her. Shiho froze as he took her hand in his, giving him a wary look._

_"Hey, just a precaution." he said, "I wouldn't want you to get scared and ditch me."_

_"Why would I be scared of you?"_

_"I don't know, it was just a thought." Gideon chuckled, "You're really pretty, you know that?"_

_Okay, now she was getting worried. Some strange guy that she only had met once before had already kissed her cheek, was holding hands with her, and called her pretty. That was better then any previous track record she held. _

_She blushed, "Th-Thank you."_

_"Welcome." he said, making a move to turn around, "Let's go-"_

_Shiho jumped, seeing a pair of blue eyes glaring at them. For a moment, she thought that the set of blue orbs would flare red and try to set Gideon on fire._

_"Mr. Jule, what a surprise." Gideon replied, not missing a beat, "I was just taking Miss Hahnenfuss out for a tour."_

_Yzak walked onto the balcony, "A tour, huh?"_

_"That's right." he replied, grining at her, "Is that in complience with your ZAFT regulations or do I need a chaperone?"_

_"I'm not her keeper, if that's what you mean." Yzak said, folding his arms._

_Shiho watched the exchange between both men, and felt uneasy. Yzak was not happy, whether it was because Gideon was being a little too friendly or not she did not know, but Yzak was pissed off. He glowered at Aoi and stepped aside to let them leave._

_Gideon smiled, "I'm borrowing her for a while, Jule. Don't worry, I'll take good care of her."_

_"I'm sure you will."_

_Shiho turned around to glanced at her captain's face before they disappeared down the hallway. Yzak leaned against the doorframe, staring at the floor, looking like he was going to kill something._

_What was that all about?_

_---------------------------------------------------------------_

She could feel him laying on top of her. His breathing had evened out in the morning hours, and she assumed exhaustion had taken over. The bandages had magically come off his chest at one point and ended up on the floor. That was good, now she did not have to think about taking them off.

Yzak's head rest on her chest, completely content with her heartbeat in his ears. As they began to wake up, he felt her move slightly. One of her legs wrapped around his, her hands lightly running through his hair as if it was an afterthought.

"Am I crushing you?" he asked, "I can move-"

She shook her head, burying her face in his messy hair, "You're going to stay right here."

Yzak did not argue with that order. He had no idea how long they had been laying there in each other's arms. Looking at the digital clock, he realized it had been hours. So instead of staying still, he leaned up over her, kissing her mouth. She was still half asleep, and made no move to stop him. Not that she wanted to stop him.

His hands sliding through her soft hair, Yzak trailed his mouth down her neck to her chest, and over her collarbone. The hold of her legs around him tightened slightly.

They had fallen in his bed last night, and he lost count of how many times he had taken her. Years of pent-up feelings and emotions suddenly washed out of his head like a waterfall, and he was realizing that he was more in love with her then he was letting himself admit.

"We need to get up..." she murmured under his kisses, "...get up...see-"

"To early." he replied, "Sleep first, talk later."

"What sleep?" a big smirk spread across her face, "As far as I remember, Jule, you haven't let me sleep at all."

"Mutual feelings, love." he said, pressing his lips lightly to her stomach, "You're a distraction."

"_I'M_ the distraction?" she chuckled.

"Yeah, you are." he nodded.

Shiho stared at him, running a hand through his hair, "I love your silver hair."

"The black will wash out eventually."

"I know, but still..."

He smirked, looking up at her, "You like my girly white hair? I think it makes me look old."

"If you're old then I'm old."

He laughed at that comment, propping his elbows on either side of her, and hearing her breath and he moved inside her.

"No fair." she murmured.

"If we're going to be teasing each other, I might as well take the advantage, hm?" he smiled into her neck, "God, I love you."

Wrapping her arms around his back, she smiled into his neck, "I love you too."

---------------------------------------------------------------

Yzak found himself standing in the shower, scrubbing his hair. It was a complete mess. That's what he hated about this straight hair, if even a little bit was out of place it was really noticable. Shiho had already come and gone out of the bathroom and was making breakfest. It was about 9 am, later in the morning then when he was used to getting up.

Stepping out of the bathroom, he was drying his hair was a towel. He dressed in a sweater and a pair of jeans. It was always cold in the apartment, and he made a note to complain to the landlord later.

A smile spread across his face.

"It smells good." he replied, sitting at the counter, "You really out did yourself. Where did you learn to cook like this anyway?"

"I've been taking some pointers from the women's cooking club down the street at the old church. They told me that if I'm living with a man the key to his heart is good meals, and they made me come to some of their sessions."

"Well, they were right." he nodded, taking a piece of toast.

"It actually wasn't that big of a deal. I like going there and talking with all those old ladies." she nodded, setting a plate of blueberry pancakes on the counter, "It was something to do."

"You're going to be the best cook in ZAFT. When we get back, you're making me these EVERY day."

"Every day? Well-" she chuckled, "I can hardly argue with that."

They sat, talked, and ate breakfest. Yzak found himself smiling and laughing more that morning then he had the entire month. There was something about her that just made him happy.

Leaving the apartment, he locked the door and pocketed the key. Shiho watched him as they walked out onto the snow-covered street. Yzak smiled, sticking out his arm. She laughed and wrapped her arm through his and they headed towards the old parliment building.

---------------------------------------------------------------

_Shiho looked up at the sky, and sighed._

_"You're sighing a lot. What's on your mind?"_

_Gideon smiled at her from his perch on the front steps. They had settled down to eat a snack, which consisted of watermelon. She decided not to mention that this was the first time she had ever eaten non-engineered watermelon._

_"I was just thinking about my family on PLANT. I hope they are alright."_

_It had been a little over a week, and spring was starting to creep up around them. The plum trees were just starting to show their blossums. Shiho had to admit that this was a beautiful town in the spring._

_"I hope so too." he said, almost as an after thought, "Say, Shiho, would you like do go to the festival with me next week?"_

_Shiho was watching Yzak, the mayor, and Dearka off in the distance. The three men were heavy into a discussion about something serious. Yzak would occasionally glance over at them._

_"He doesn't really like me, does he? Your captain..."_

_"It takes Captain Jule a while to get used to people." Shiho replied._

_Gideon smirked at the ZAFT captain. He knew exactly why Yzak was uneasy. Standing up, he sat next to Shiho, and wrapped an arm around her. Watching the captain stiffen at the action was entertaining._

_"Um, Gideon-"_

_He stood up, holding out a hand, "Come on, the ladies at the church want to meet you. I think their cooking class is today."_

_"Um..."_

_---------------------------------------------------------------_

_Yzak glared at them, watching Gideon make off with Shiho. Dearka chuckled,_

_"Careful, Yzak, if you don't relax a little your head will explode."_

_"Shut up." Yzak snapped, "God, he's all over her. Doesn't he have any shame?"_

_Dearka shrugged, "What do we care? It's not like we're her babysitters or anything. Plus, she was hurt pretty bad. Both of us agreed to let her rest for a while."_

_"But-"_

_The Mayor chuckled at their conversation, "Gideon-kun has always been like that. Though, I have to admit, he has been paying attention to Miss Hahnenfuss more so then any other girl he's been with. Maybe he actually has feelings for this one."_

_Great...Yzak thought to himself._

_---------------------------------------------------------------_

"Shiho?"

She looked up, Yzak was staring at her curiously.

"What?" she asked, "I'm sorry, I was a little out of it."

He nodded, "Look at this."

They stood in the parliment building, looking at the radar. Shiho frowned, before taking a seat at the console. Mayor Hultz and Othniel stared curiously at the monitor as well. After scanning the area herself, Shiho made a face.

"What is it?" Yzak asked, "Is it what the radar says?"

Shiho nodded, "There's a radio transmission heading towards here. It's encrypted with an old code from before the war."

Othniel frowned, "The broadcast frequency is correct. Static must be comming from local interfearence."

"Can you clear it up?" Hultz asked her.

"I believe so..." she said, slipping the headphones on, "...it's from Orb."

"Orb?" Yzak leaned foreward, putting a hand on the back of her chair, "What does it say?"

Shiho listened to the static in the background. There was a distinct voice. Turning up the volume slowly, she gasped.

"What?" Yzak asked her, "What is it?"

"It's from Orb, alright." she said, "It's a message from Lacus Clyne."

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_There won't be another update till mid-September. I will be moving to college this week and I don't have enough time to update again. Don't worry, though:D I have the next chapter somewhat planned out. The action will start to pick up, so hang in there!_

_Thanks for reading!_

_Arigato_

_Lilith_


	8. Chapter 8

_I didn't really edit this chapter a lot, if it's a really big problem, I'll revise it. I just wanted to get in the habit of posting fics in my freetime again. School has started, and everything is going well. I hope everyone's school year is going well so far!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Seed Destiny_

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His eyes twitched as the sunlight warmed the room. Sitting up, he ran his fingers through his unruly hair. The blond bangs fell in front of his eyes, but not enough to cover his deep violet eyes as he gazed around the room.

Their room was always messy these days. It did not really bother her though, and he did not care either. Pulling the covers back, he was careful not to wake the sleeping woman next to him. Covering her tightly, he padded barefoot across the room, trying to make a path to the deck door through the papers, files, assorted clothes, and equipment. It was amazing that he had even managed to find his sweatpants last night.

Walking to the balcony, he opened the french doors to the sliding screen doors and let the cool morning air into the warm room. It was cool enough outside that he was glad he was wearing pants instead of shorts at the moment, but he knew in the back of his mind that the day was going to be hot. Opening the doors, he ventured out onto the balcony.

Glancing over at the helicopter pad, he made a face. He would have to try and fix it today. Zack Myers took the other copter last night to San Diego, and there was no way that he would get back in time for the afternoon run.

"Mmm." a voice floated into his ears from the room. She swept a hand over the pillows, and yawned, "Dearka?"

"Here, babe." he answered, still staring at the sunrise. He never got this view when he lived on PLANT. As far as he was concerned, he could live on earth and watch the sunrise for the rest of his life and be happy.

Miriallia rolled back the quilt and stretched as she walked towards him. She wore a pair of pajama pants and a matching tank. Holding out his arm, he gather her against his shoulder as the watched the horizon.

"Work." she yawned again.

"Yeah."

"You wanna make the coffee this time?" Miriallia asked, rubbing her eyes, "You make it better anyway."

"Sure."

"What do you want for breakfest?"

He sneered, leaning to the side he brushed his lips over her ear, "You."

She chuckled, "That's not on the menu, slick."

"Awh..." he gave her to pleading look. She kissed him quickly on the lips and disappeared back into the room.

"We've got four runs today." she said, "Work first, play later."

Miriallia ruffled through the messy closet that now was mixed with both her clothes and his. He heard her mumble a few curses,

"Damn it, Dearka, we've gotta clean this room." she said, "It's amazing we never loose anything in here."

He shrugged and walked into the room, closing the screen doors as he went. Pulling some clothes out of a pile on the floor that were clean, he began getting dressed as Miriallia bounded out of the room towards the bathroom. Dearka always let her in first so he could take as long as he wanted and not worry about her banging on the door.

Plodding downstairs of their little house, he began ruffling through the kitchen. Switching on the TV, he listened to the news as he began pulling coffee and filters out of the cuboards.

Their house was on the edge of town. It was white, simple, and easy to manage. It had a kitchen attached to a living room and a study on the first floor, and two bedrooms upstairs. The whole house had wood floors, and there was a balcony that attached to the master bedroom. There was a bathroom upstairs and downstairs. It was large enough for them, but small enough to not be too big.

The study was full of Miriallia's photography equipment, and there was a huge drafting desk set up that was covered with his stuff. One side of the wall was lined with filing cabinats. Old files, papers, documents, blueprints, everything they ever used or needed.

Dearka looked at the pile of bills on the counter, and made a face. Picking up one as he turned on the coffee pot, he read over a few of the letters. Water bill, electric bill, gas bill, house mortgage, various insurance, equipment dues, and some others that he did not even bother to look at the moment. They made plenty of money to pay them off, but they still irritated him.

Still, part of him did not mind at all. Coming from a rich family, he never worried about buying things, or working, or paying bills. Having his own life and pay his own way gave him a sort of satisfaction that made him happy.

"What's with you? You look happy."

"Just thinking about things." he said, setting the bill aside, "So, what's on the agenda today?"

"San Fransico, a few other cities on the way..." she trailied off, "How many more battles are there going to be?"

Dearka did not answer her question.

"Coffee." she said, getting a cup for herself, a bright smile spread across her face, "God..."

"What?"

"For a blond, rich boy, you make damn good coffee." she said, taking another sip, "Mmm..."

"Military." he chanted, "Kicks you in the ass and makes you learn stuff."

She snorted in her coffee and began giggling.

"Have I told you yet today how much I love you?" he asked.

"Not yet." she said, smiling, "But you don't have to."

Dearka smiled, kissing her forehead as she headed over to make some breakfest. God, could he ever remembering being this happy?

Looking over at the pile of photos on the kitchen table, he frowned. Looking at the battlefields, he felt a bad feeling in the back of his mind. The solider in him told him that he should have been out there fighting last month.

"Dearka, do you want cheese in your scrambled eggs?" she asked, "I just bought some shredded cheese yesterday, and scrambled eggs with cheese and coffee is like...the god of all breakfests."

The man in him told him that he would not give up what he had at the moment for anything.

"Sure, Mir."

------------------------------------------------

_"You old bastard, I'm not just some hired hand you can beckon whenever you want."_

_"Old? Didn't anyone ever teach you to respect your elders?"_

_"Hell, ya. I respect my elders, I just don't respect you."_

_Athrun snorted, "Listen, Shinn, I need to know that you and Luna have our backs on this. We're really going to need your help."_

_There was an uneasy silence on the radio, and after a few seconds, Shinn came back on._

_"Sure." Shinn chuckled, "Sounds interesting. Luna and I will be waiting. How do I contact you?"_

_"I'll find you."_

_"Mr. Secret Agent Stealth like always."_

_"Is there any other me?" Athrun laughed._

Athrun drove them along the familiar road on the beach, his conversation with Shinn still fresh in his mind. He missed his convertable, but not as much as he missed his young wife sitting in the convertable with him. Cagali was watching the ocean, trying to ignore the destruction and ruin around them.

Kira and Lacus had a son now.

He would be lying if he said he was not jealous. Athrun wanted more then anything to go back to before this horrid war and have his own life. Maybe if nothing had happend, he and Cagali would have their own kids right now.

Seeing the beachouse mansion after the right turn, he pulled into the driveway. Almost emediatly, the door opened, and they were rushed with a wave of children. Cagali burst out laughing as they bowled him over onto the pavement. Talking a mile a minute and asking him questions, Athrun could barely keep up.

"Oh my." Caridad Yamato laughed to herself as she stepped outside, "Looks like your the man of the day, Athrun."

He smiled, standing up. One child in his arms and another one clamped onto his leg, Athrun managed to briefly hug Kira's mother.

"I come once a week, Athrun comes four or five time a year." Cagali said, Athrun hinted the slight saddness in her voice, "They are thrilled to see him."

"Maybe I'll take them all out for a stroll so you can catch up?" Malchio emerged from his spot on the other side of the house where one of three balconies were located. Athrun shook hands with him.

"That should be okay." Caridad said, "Dinner is in two hours, so there's time."

"I'll tire them out. Maybe they'll actually go to be on time, hm?"

There were rounds of giggles and laughter from the children. They stopped accosting Athrun long enough to bound after the priest.

"Well, come in. There are two people inside waiting to see you both."

------------------------------------------------

Athrun slipped off his shoes and coat in the front entry, sliding them into the closet. They had all learned from experience that it was not a good idea to leave this laying in the middle of the front entry. Especially with ten or eleven children around.

Lacus stood at the stove, making a pot of tea. She wore a beautiful lavender skirt with a pale blue tanktop, and a small white apron. Smiling as she saw them enter, Athrun hugged her as she kissed his cheek.

"You look good, mother." he smiled.

Lacus chuckled, "Thank you. Kira's out back if you want to chat. I just started the tea, I'll be right there."

Caridad stayed to chat with Lacus as Athrun followed Cagali out to the landing. Kira was sitting in one of the lawn, lounging chairs with a book on OS programming in his hands and a little, blue-eyed boy in his arms. Torii sat on his shoulder as always, keeping Akira's attention to keep the little baby from pulling at Kira's hair, which was in great need of a trim.

"Kira."

His friend smiled, "Athrun." he clapped hands with Justice pilot and Athrun took a chair next to him. Passing Akira off to Cagali, Kira set to book on the table and yawned.

"Up late?" he asked.

"Ugh..." Kira groaned, "Maintance duty, construction, OS system updating, you name it, I'm doing it. On top of that, getting up at 4 am for a while to watch Akira has been interesting."

Athrun watched as Cagali strolled around the edge of the deck with Akira, pointing at the beach and talking away to him. _She's so good with kids..._

"Don't complain." Lacus came out with the tray, "You take on extra work."

"I know, but someone's gotta do it." Kira replied, Athrun nodded in agreement.

"So." Cagali sat down. Athrun raised his arms and took the baby from her. Sitting him on the crook of his arm, he took a teacup and sipped a little tea. Cagali started again after sorting her thought, "Do we have a plan?"

No one had to ask what she was talking about.

"I think it's time we contacted the Eternal." Lacus replied, "We'll send out an old encoded message. Only those that recognize the signal will know what it means. Anyone else will just think is feedback from old radio transmissions, or static. Blue Cosmos won't realize it. That way, any of our old allies on earth will hear it too."

"Agreed." Athrun nodded.

"The Archangel, Kusanagi, and a few other ships are all on standby. We can go anytime we need too. However, we should watch ourselves to avoid attracking to much attention." Kira said.

"A snake waiting to strike." Cagali frowned, "Or mabye a sleeping dragon?"

"I know there are others around here that feel the same way we do." Lacus told them, looking at her tea, "We have the power to stop this, we should do something. At first we were laying low and recovering, but now we're just running."

"I don't know about you guys-" Cagali smiled, "-but that's just not my style."

All of them chuckled, it was true. They all had the skills and power to tip the war in their favor.

"So, who are we hoping to get ahold of?" Kira asked his wife.

"The Eternal and any other of allies in space."

"Dearka and Yzak are still on earth." Athrun said, "They will pick it up. Shinn and Lunamaria are already waiting for our orders."

"Good." Lacus nodded, "Yzak Jule is a certified captain, yes? That's good. We need someone to re-organize Carpentaria."

"Yzak could manage that alright." Athrun said, flinching. Akira reached up and grabbed a few locks of his dark hair. Smiling, he pried the child's fingers off his hair. Grabbing onto Athrun's finger he held on tight, even though Athrun adverted his attention back to their conversation, "He has a strong grip."

"He does." Lacus nodded.

"Careful Athrun, he might break your finger." Cagali joked.

He laughed.

"We'll send out a message tonight." Kira said, "Record it and broadcast it through the Freedom's systems. It will be coded enough that way."

"Sounds good. We'll start on it after dinner." Athrun said, "I don't know about you guys, but I'd rather starve then eat that stuff we're served on the frontlines. Home cooked meals are the best."

Kira nodded, "No joking."

Cagali and Lacus exchanged glances. Sitting on the balcony, talking, planning battles and talking of past times...it was like the old days.

They ate dinner, played with the children, sat and talked in the living room, and tried their best to enjoy the night. Most likely, it was the last night they would get for a while that would be to themselves.

When the children went to bed, and the night had fallen, they broad casted the message, and waited.

------------------------------------------------

"Attention all soliders of Orb, ZAFT, and OMNI..." Shiho repeated the message out loud, "...My name is Lacus Clyne. I am sending this message in an attempt to reach all those who desire peace and an end to an endless war of bloodshed. Those of you who believe is life, I implore you to join me as an ally..."

Yzak listened intently to the message. From the sound of things, life my have slowed done for him and Shiho in Windside, but the rest of the world was still traveling at the speed of light. Lacus was sending out a plea to organize and strike. It was something very unlike her, but Yzak figured at this point, even the songstress was getting disgusted.

"...send a message and join the cause." Shiho waited a minute, "That's the end of the message."

"Wow." Hultz nodded, "Lacus Clyne herself."

"That is very dangerous." Othniel frowned, "To announce herself over the radio waves."

"Lacus was never one to beat around the bush." Yzak leaned in, turning to Othniel, "Do you think you could send a message back via that same line?"

"Of course." he nodded, "Give me a second."

Yzak stood next to Shiho as they waited for Othniel to be finished. The dark-haired man's fingers pounded quickly across the keyboard, and when he was finished, he turned the keyboard towards Yzak.

"You have just enough space to send a quick, typed message. That's the best I can do."

Yzak smirked, "That's more then enough."

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Djibril stood in the darkened room, staring out into space. He frowned at the earth, and let out a vicious curse.

The little bastards were still alive. He knew it.

Yzak Jule, Dearka Elthman, Athrun Zala, Lacus Clyne, Cagali Yula Atha, Shiho Hahnenfuss, Shinn Asuka, Lunamaria Hawke, Meyrin Hawke, so many others...and Kira Yamato. They were the most wanted people in the sector. Blue Cosmos wanted their heads on a silver platter. HE wanted their heads on a silver platter.

There was a beep at the door, and the aid walked in.

"What?" he snapped, "If it's not important, go away."

"The rebels on Aprillius One are starting to uprise again, sir." the aid, Michael Rhinner, told him.

Frowning, Djibril gave him a sidewas look. Michael Rhinner had been his aid for three years. The boy had just turned 15 that year, and was one of the most capable people that Djibril knew, and he relied on him the most. He was tall for his age, with sandy hair and golden eyes, and spent most of his time wearing a regular, grey ZAFT uniform. A few years ago, Michael declined to take the Red Elite exam, something that Djibril did not understand.

"Send a few units after them. It should take care of them for the time being." he said, "Ezaria Jule is a fool if she think she can organize that pathetic colony against us. Have you located Yzak Jule or Lacus Clyne yet?"

Rhinner smiled slightly, "I have one piece of good news for you, sir."

"Good news?"

"Lacus Clyne has resurfaced." he said, "She's been living in Orb, apparently, and last year she married Kira Yamato."

"Hm."

"They have a son, sir."

Djibril raised his eyebrows, and smirked. A son of two Coordinators, not to mention the fact that Kira Yamato was the most powerful Coordinator to ever lived, and the most feared. The only reason Blue Cosmos had been able to make any headway at all was because the Freedom had stayed out of it.

"If we get ahold of that boy, Mr. Rhinner, our scientists would be most pleased."

"Yes, sir."

Djibril was in a better mood now, "Search the location of that message, and if you can, see if you can track it. I'm interested in what is going on down there on that miserable excuse for a homeworld." He turned back to the window, "And bring me that boy. I don't care what you have to do."

Rhinner bowed, "Yes, sir.", and then he left.

Djibril went back to staring out the window. If Blue Cosmos could not find Lacus Clyne and the others, he would launch a direct attack on Orb.

Djibril smirked, and chuckled to himself.

_That would sure as hell get their attention._

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Athrun Zala lay on the roll-out couch. They had stayed at the mansion for the night. It was raining outside, and both he and Cagali were exhausted. Kisaka would be able to handle things for one night, so they decided to take one night off.

He lay on his side, Cagali was curled up with him under the sheets, her back against his chest. Athrun wore a light pair of pajama pants, and Cagali had borrowed one of Lacus' nightgowns. It was not usually the thing she wore to bed, but Athrun had thought it looked beautiful on her. This earned a displeased look from his wife.

But they were toasty warm in the pull-out sofa, wrapped in a few quilts. Laying awake, Athrun was thinking to himself. Night was usually the time when everything from that day came rushing into his head all at once and he would have to think it over.

"Cagali?" he whispered, "You awake?"

"Mmn."

That meant: _no, but I am now._

"When all this is over, do you want to-" he stopped, the words caught in his throat. He could not ask it.

Cagali rolled over in his arms, and a smile spread across her face. Reaching a hand up, she laid it on the side of his face.

"You're blushing, Athrun." she smiled, "What's on your mind?"

"Nevermind. It's not a big deal."

Cagali pouted at him, "There's something in your head, Athrun. Tell me, otherwise you'll think too much."

He took in a deep breath, and thought it threw again. As his cheeks turned even more red, he asked,

"After this war is over, I was thinking that it may be a good idea to have our own kids."

Now she was blushing. _Great. _Just when he thought he had enough resolve, Athrun suddenly felt like-

She kissed him on the month, her hands framing his face. Resting his forehead on hers, they stared into each other's eyes for a few moments.

"Would you be okay with something like that?" he asked. He was pushing foreward. If he did not get it out now, he would take a while to get the courage to ask her again.

Cagali suddenly smiled at him, "If it's your kid, sure."

_Sure._ Just like that.

He suddenly felt a lot better.

"_My_ kid?" he sneered at her, leaning over her, "Cagali...are you playing me? Are you pulling something behind me back that I don't know about?" he chuckled as she began to giggle, "Becuase if there is, there might be consequences."

"Oh?" she laughed, "Like what?"

He kissed her lips, "Like this..."

Athrun stopped, staring past her. Cagali frowned, "What is it?"

The laptop on the coffee table, the one that they had used to send Lacus' message...the red light was blinking. Someone sent a message back.

Cagali moved aside, letting Athrun slide out of the covers onto the floor. He turned on the computer, and she watched as his fingers flew across the keyboard.

"Who is it, Athrun?" Cagali stared at the message in the Inbox, and made a face. "Who the hell is that from?"

Athrun stared at the message. It was short, and to the point. There was not a name, or a return address on the mail, but Athrun knew who it was anyway.

_You still owe me a chess game._

_This time I'll win. _

A smile spread across his face.

"It's Yzak."

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I will update this story after I've caught up with all my other ones. I don't know exactly when, but it'll be as soon as I can manage. So hang in there!

Arigato

Lilith


	9. Chapter 9

_Hello everyone! I finally got the next chapter up!_

_Review and tell me what you think!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Seed Destiny_

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Yzak stared into Athrun's weery eyes over the screen. They were on a secure line. Lacus was standing in the background, and Kira sat at the console in front of them, next to Athrun was Cagali.

"It's been a while, Yzak."

"Sure has." Yzak nodded, folding his arms, "So, what's new? I hear you all are begging around for help."

"As usual." Athrun smiled, "You up for a little hunting, Yzak?"

"I guess." the silver-haired captain shrugged, "What's in it for me? I gotta pretty good life here, you know."

"Fame, glory, saving innocents?" Athrun smiled, "You get to be captain again, and command a hot spaceship."

"Same old, same old."

"No kidding, Yzak. We're going after Djibril."

Yzak frowned.

"Are you in?"

Yzak sat back in the chair, and then he chuckled, "Sure."

"Good." he said, "We'll send a convoy to pick you up ASAP. Carpentaria is in need of a little...asisstence."

"Figures." Yzak sighed, "Catch you later, Zala."

"Hey, Yzak?"

"Yeah."

Athrun smirked, "Nice hair."

He flipped off the link.

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Shiho opened the door, and let them both into their apartment. Yzak had not spoken a word since they left the parliament building. He talked with Hultz and Othneil, and finally decided to leave tommorrow.

_Leave._

She locked the door behind them. Turning around, Yzak was staring out of the living room window at the town. There was a distint, thoughtful look on his face.

"Yzak?"

"I'll miss this place." he chuckled slightly, "I'll miss the life here."

Shiho stared at him.

"I knew that the outside world would catch up with me eventually. It always does." he turned around, staring at Shiho, he smiled sadly, "Don't give me that look, Shiho. It makes me want to cry too."

"But..." she shook her head, "...I-"

He walked towards her, "It's okay."

"Not it's not!" she yelled, "Once we return to the military then we'll going back to major and captain. Then-"

"I'm used to being on my own." he said, wrapping his arms around her.

"You shouldn't have to be used to it." she closed her eyes and buried her face in his shoulder. "Don't worry, Yzak. When all this is over, we'll have each other. I'll wake up every morning and make us blueberry pancakes, and we'll go out like normal people."

"Shiho..."

"I love you." she said, her hands gripping the front of his coat, "I love you more then anything, Yzak."

He gently pried her hands off his jacket, and touched his forehead to hers.

"I've enjoyed my life here with you." he said, "Just being here for that short time was more then enough."

She kissed him, feeling his arms wrap around her. Slowly pulling back, he chuckled,

"We'll go back to PLANT." he kissed her neck, pulling the jacket off her shoulders and tossing it aside, "We'll take a vaccation to my penthouse on Copernicus. All we'll have to do for a month is eat, sleep, and-"

"Have sex?" she smiled.

"That was part of the plan." he nodded, pressing his face into the inside of her jaw.

"We do have tonight, you know."

He nodded, "We do..."

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Dearka tinkered with the helicopter's engine. It was really hot that day, and he had peeled off the top half of his work uniform, and tied the jacket around his waist. Sweat trailed down his neck to his back. He figured at one point he should have put on sunscreen, he was standing in the full line of sun.

"Workin' hard?"

He chukled, seeing Zack walk up to him. Zack was the other helicopter pilot used by the press agency. He and Dearka were the two most used, however in the last few years, Dearka's time was mostly taken up by Miriallia's photo shoots. Unlike reporters, there was only one war photographer, and that was Miriallia.

"How's the missy?"

"She's good." Dearka said, leaning over the engine, one of his gloved hands gripped onto the wrench as he tightened another screw, "Working three different jobs right now."

"That's the story of ours lives, man." he said, wracking a hand through his dark hair, "Get roasted in the sun, sit in a chopper for ten hours, and get paid crap."

"Money is money." Dearka said, "You have it, then you don't."

"Amen to that."

"What's up with you, Zack? You've been gone."

"Some sweet-thing from France hired me to haul her out to Scandanavia." he said, "The chopper broken down the second day and she was pretty pissed."

Dearka looked at him, and then he sneered.

"What?" Zack looked at him funny.

"Took you for a ride, didn't she?"

"Damn..." Zack folded his arms, leaning against the copter, "I can't get anything past you, Elthman. It's like...you're some sort of ace- I don't know what."

Dearka chuckled.

"Well, you're to happy with Miss Haww anyway. Some of us deserve a little peace too."

Drying the greese off his hands, he closed the hood.

"I never learned how it was you learned to fix all this shit."

"I went to class." Dearka said, turning the engine key, and found that the engine work. He clapped his hands, and turned it off, "Thank the cosmos it worked. Mir would have had my head if it didn't."

"Say, Elthman, me and some of the other guys are going out to Hax today. Want to come?"

"Naw." he said, "Mir's making dinner. I wouldn't pass that up for anything."

"Suit yourself, bro, see ya."

"Yeah, see ya."

Dearka watched him walk off. Zack was in his mid-thirties and had been a combat jet pilot in the war. Zack did not know that Dearka had once been a ZAFT solider and one of the top gundam pilots alive, but he knew that Dearka was a good solider.

Picking up everything he was working with, Dearka jumped in the jeep and headed back to the house. Miriallia was still working in the study when he came in. She opened the door, and smiled.

"You're home. Dinner is done."

"I smell it." he smiled, "Gezz, Mir, you spoil me."

"You're complaining?" she looked at him indignantly.

"Not at all." he laid his hands on her waist and kissed her. She smoothed her hands over his muscled chest and over his shoulders, sending shivers down his back. It caused him to dip his head further to better kiss her.

"Dinner..."

"Then don't do that thing with your hands." he murmured.

"Then wear a shirt." she smirked, kissing his cheek and retreating to the kitchen.

"Facist."

They sat at the table. Dearka had cleaned himself up, and he wore a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"I have to head over to the Miller's place tonight."

"Tonight?" she said, "You were there last week."

"I need to check over my GINN." he said, stabbing his fork into the mashed potatoes, "GINNs are nice in battle, and it's more mineauverable then my Buster was, but it needs to be maintained often. I'm already pushing it with the once a week thing."

"If anyone ever-"

"No one knows except you, me, and the Millers." he said, "We're perfectly safe."

She sighed, "I know."

"Hey-" he said, raised a hand to touch her cheek, "-don't worry, Mir. If anything did happen, I would protect you."

That's what she was worried about.

She smiled, "I know. How long will you be gone?"

"I just need to scan the systems, do a little quick OS update, and replace a faulty join on the left leg. I'll be gone...three hours tops."

"Good." she smiled, leaning towards him, "Maybe I'll have a little desert for you?"

He grinned at that prospect.

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When the sun rose that day, Yzak was laying in bed, his arm curled around Shiho. She was already awake, laying still in his arms. Neither of them made a move to get up.

Ten minutes later, Shiho rose to get in the shower.

Yzak stood up, slipping on a pair of jeans, he walked out of the room. Watching the young woman at the stove, he turned back to the bathroom and took his own shower. Leaving the bathroom, he turned off the light, stuffing his things in the bag in his room. Shiho had already packed her things, and they sat in a bag in the hallway. Neither of them had many things to begin with.

Yzak sat at the counter, and sipped a cup of coffee.

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_"Isn't the sky a wonderful blue?" Deborah smiled at him, gripping his arm, "Just like your eyes, hm?"_

_Yzak stared down at her, and chuckled, "I don't know about that."_

_"I always wanted blue eyes." she said, "Brown is so lame and uncreative. Actually, when I was really young I wanted pink eyes." Deborah laughed again. Looking over the railing of the balcony, she smiled, "Hey, Yzak, the festival is tonight, will you go with me?"_

_"I-"_

_Yzak stopped, looking over the railing of the balcony. Below, Gideon was still holding onto Shiho's hand. She laughed at something the blond man said, a slight blush in her cheeks. Yzak's eyes narrowed slightly. _

_It was strange to him, he had never been one to be jealous over such simple issues. He liked Shiho Hahnenfuss. Hell...he had liked her the moment she set foot in his team. Now some blond dumbass was taking her from him._

_"Sure, I'll go with you." he replied._

_It was not the smartest decision that Yzak had ever made, but he made it._

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_Walking into the complex that night, Dearka sat at the console, looking throughly pissed off. He still had the communication set on his head, his arms folded with one hand tucked under his chin._

_"Dearka." Yzak stopped, "What's wrong? You looked like someone rained on your parade."_

_He let out a long sigh, and then flipped the switch on the recording._

_"...if anyone's out there...assisstence..." the young woman's voice replied over the static, "...assisstence...wounded..."_

_The message cut out there._

_"Miriallia Haww." Dearka smiled sadly, "I didn't think I'd ever hear her voice again."_

_"You know her?"_

_"Hell ya." Dearka nodded, "From the Archangel, she saved my life once. Probably more then once...but once was enough."_

_Yzak was silent a moment._

_"The location of the transmission is sixty miles north." Dearka replied, "I could make it there by 4 am."_

_"Go."_

_Dearka gasped, looking up at him, "Yzak-"_

_"Get the fuck out of here." Yzak repeated, "Go, Dearka. Don't stay here and regret it. Go."_

_He was out of the chair before Yzak could finish his sentence. Staring at his friend in shock, Dearka reached out a hand towards him._

_"Live well, bro."_

_Yzak clamped his hand on Dearka's, and the dark-skinned man wrapped one arm around him. With one last look, he was gone. Sitting alone in the control room, the door opened and Shiho watched Dearka ran break-neck speed out of the complex._

_"What's with Dearka?"_

_"He's going to go play rescuer." Yzak muttered, "Don't go after him."_

_Shiho looked sadly at Yzak, and then shut the door, "Are you alright?"_

_"Yeah." he said, "Where's Mr. Aoi? It's strange not to see him tailing you."_

_Shiho frowned, "Look-"_

_"He's a good man, Shiho." he murmured, standing up, "You look good together."_

_"Captain-"_

_He walked past her, "Excuse me, I need to-"_

_"Stop!"_

_She caught his arm, and he tripped. Falling against the door, his arms were wrapped around her to keep her from falling. Yzak froze in his spot._

_"Are you alright, sir?" she asked._

_"Yes." he shook his head, "Look, Major, I-"_

_There was a loud bang on the door, "Hey, Shiho! We're going to be late to the church!" _

_Yzak frowned, holding her away from him._

_"See you at the festival tonight, Major."_

_"Sir-"_

_Gideon barely had time to step back as the door burst open. Yzak marched out into the street, giving the hacker a look that could freeze hell. Shiho ran out, trying to catch up with him, and then stopped._

_"Is everything alright, angel?" Gideon asked her, "Did he do something?"_

_Shiho frowned, "No, nothing."_

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"Yzak?"

He looked up. Shiho set a plate of pancakes in front of him, and he smiled. They sat in their kitchen, eating the last breakfest they would ever eat there. When they were finished, he helped her wash and dry the dishes, putting them away. Packing the rest of their things, Yzak opened the door, folding his coat over his arm.

Shiho gave the place one last look, and then he shut the door behind her.

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_"Yzak?"_

_He looked at the young girl sitting across from him. _

_"Sorry, I was spacing out a little."_

_"You were looking at HER again." Deborah sighed, "Did you guys fight or something?"_

_"Not really."_

_"Well, Gideon sure likes her. That's odd." she took a sip of tea, "You want to dance?"_

_"Sure."_

_Leading her across the dancefloor, Yzak took a glance over her shoulder at Shiho._

_Gideon was staring down at her with that same serious look in his eyes. Gently grasping her hand, he smiled._

_"You're awfully quiet." he said._

_"I'm tired." she smiled sadly, "I haven't been sleeping a lot."_

_Gideon laughed, "That's what I love about you, Shiho, always quick to a response."_

_She gasped, "What?"_

_"I love you." he told her, "Stay with me."_

_She stopped. _

_Gideon Aoi was a respectable, secure, handsome, kind man. She would be happy with someone like him. He was take care of her, make sure that she had everything she ever needed, and he was in love with her._

_"I-"_

_He leaned over and kissed her._

_"Yzak?"_

_Deborah made a face, "Yzak?"_

_He had felt the heart drop out of his chest. Yzak stared at them, his eyes wide. Deborah gritted her teeth. _

_She stood on her toes and kissed him. _

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"What are you thinking about?" Shiho asked.

They were strolling down mainstreet towards the parliment building. Yzak had his bag hoisted onto his shoulder over his long coat.

"The festival." he said, "Remember?"

"Oh yeah." she nodded, "You punched him."

He frowned, "Not one of my crowning moments."

"Certainly not."

He had indeed punched Gideon Aoi. Yzak had waited till after they were all alone and the crowd did not see, but he punched him anyway. It was the start of the long year that he and Shiho lived in Windside.

It turned out later that the transmission Dearka had found was the start of a long string of battles that last almost half a year. Blue Cosmos was out for Yzak's head because of his influence in the council, and bounty hunters as well as soliders combed Windside daily for him. Because of this, he agreed to take cover in Windside in exchange for using his abilities in the underground rebel force. He and Shiho had moved into the same apartment to keep up their cover.

It had been a long year with her. They had learned things about each other, lived together...he did not want to give that up.

"This is stupid." he swore, stopping in his tracks.

"Yzak?"

He turned around, combing his fingers through his hair, "This is damn stupid."

"Yzak? What's wrong? What-"

"A year." he said, "We've spent a year here, and now we have to go back to ZAFT, and everything is gone."

"You know that we can't-"

"I know!" he roared, "There's got to be something we can do."

"It's against regulations, Yzak." she said, "We'd have to give up our commissions. I would loose my elite status, and you would loose your captain's bars."

"I know..." he gripped her shoulders, he gulped, "...marry me."

"What?" she shouted.

"Marry me! Then they can't say anything."

Shiho glarred at him, "I will not marry you just because you don't want us thrown in jail!"

"Shiho!" he roared, "I'm not asking you because of that. I know it's random and it's not the most oppurtune time, but-"

"Yes."

Yzak stared at her a moment, "What?"

"Yes." she suddenly smiled at him, "Yes, Yzak, I'll marry you."

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_The next chapter will be up as soon as possible. I will be trying to update a few of my other stories first, but it will be up! _

_Keep safe :D_

_Arigato _

_Lilith_


	10. Chapter 10

_Yay! I finally got chapter 10 up :P_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Seed Destiny_

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Athrun slipped the windbreaker over his arms.

"You're going to go pick him up yourself?" Cagali asked.

"Yzak is hard to convince, and he doesn't trust people easily." he said, "We'll get him to trust us more if I pick him up personally. What will you do while I'm gone?"

"I have a few meetings today, and Kisaka has some other things lined up that I need to do." she said, "I'll probably see if I can help track down the Eternal."

Athrun chuckled, "Captain DaCoasta really hid it well. Not even Lacus can find it. Who would have ever thought that he would have outsmarted all of us."

Cagali laughed herself, "Well, he's got a few permotions waiting for him."

"Oh, I just remembered-" Athrun turned to her, "Shinn or Lunamaria may call today. If they do, tell them that their help would be appreciated."

"Shinn?" Cagali caulked an eyebrow at him, "You think I can even HAVE a civil conversation with Shinn?"

Athrun smirked, shaking his head. He kissed her cheek, slipping the headset over his dark hair.

"I'll be back."

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Dearka drove down the countryside in the old jeep. He had a better car then the one he was currently driving, but in the country he did not want to attract attention with his sleek, black convertable. Seeing the old farmhouse over the edge of the wheat fields, Dearka parked the jeep at the end of the drive way and walked up to the house.

He knocked on the door, and it opened. The old man smiled at him,

"Major Elthman."

"Good afternoon, Bill." he said, "I just came to check over my old friend."

"We were expecting you." he said, "I'll walk you there."

Strolling towards the large barn at the end of the wheat farm, Dearka found that he could easily clear his mind in the fresh air.

"How is the little lady?"

"She's well." Dearka smiled, "Working hard."

"That poor girl works harder then any woman I've known."

"How is May?"

The old man smiled at him, "Working."

Dearka chuckled as Bill opened the lock to the barn, and opened the door. There was a high pile of hay that filled the entire barn. It was an old building, easily 25 feet from the ground to the ceiling. In one edge of the building, there was a thick pile of hay that reached from the floor almost all the way to the ceiling.

Climbing up the big bail, Darka dug through the hay to find the lock for the cockpit door. It opened slowly, and he slipped inside.

The GINN was left over from a previous battle. When Dearka had first come to the town, he had helped with the reconstruction of the area, and discovered it abandoned in the woods. Finding that it only needed a few repairs, he was able to fix it himself.

The Millers were from the old regime in ZAFT. They had settled on earth after Patrick Zala took over the council because they disagreed with his views. Living on earth for over 30 years, they had both quickly noticed Dearka's skills and abilites that clearly identified him as ZAFT military. It was then that they had volunteered their barn to hide the GINN.

He flipped on the controls of the suit, pulling out the stack of papers he had left on the console.

"How does she look?" Bill called.

"It's doing alright." Dearka said, his hands were flying over the keyboard, "Just a few adjustments-"

He stopped a moment, and frowned.

Upon checking the communication system, the GINN had picked up a strange signal that was being broadcast on a universal line.

"Something wrong?" the old man called.

Dearka ignored him, pulling a headset on his head and tapping into the signal. It was an old code.

From Orb.

A smile crept across his face as he opened a channel to the sender.

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Yzak stood on the street, shaking hands with Hultz.

"Thanks you." Yzak said, "For everything you've done for us."

"No, thank you, Captain." he said, "You and Major Hahnenfuss will always be welcome here."

Yzak smiled, and he shook hands with Othniel. Turning his head, he noticed that Gideon Aoi walked up to Shiho, who was saying good-bye to some of the other ladies she had once worked with.

"Shiho."

She looked up at him. He smiled sadly,

"I could make you happy."

Shiho glanced at Yzak, who was looking at her, the wind blowing gently through his hair. Turning back to Gideon, she smiled,

"I don't think I could possibly be happier then I already am, Gideon." she said, "Thank you, though, for helping me."

She shook his hand, and he gathered her up in his arms, kissing her head.

"Careful, Aoi-" Deborah smiled, "-Yzak might punch you again."

He chuckled, turning to the ZAFT captain.

"I've given up on her for her sake, Jule. Don't make me regret that deicision."

"I won't."

Shiho went to return to Yzak's side, they could hear the helicopter in the distance.

"Shiho." someone pulled gently on her sleeve. Shiho turned around to see Deborah.

"Yes?"

"Take care of Yzak." she said, smiling, "Good luck"

Shiho nodded, "You too."

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Athrun looked over the small town. It was an uncharacteristic place to find Yzak in. This was the same Yzak that enjoyed dinner parties, fine wine, political conversations, and fast cars. For some reason Athrun had a difficult time seeing Yzak in this place.

Landing on the edge of the town, out of sight from any possible aircrafts overhead, he spotted the crowd of people waiting for him. His eyes fell on the tall, pale-faced young man.

"Yzak." Athrun said.

"Zala, you bastard." Yzak said, "This better be good for you to come all the way out here."

"What are you doing here, Yzak?" Athrun smirked, "For some reason, I didn't think you were the rural type."

"Don't knock it till you've tried it." he said, "This is Major Shiho Hahnenfuss. Hahnenfuss, this is Athrun Zala."

"Major." Athrun nodded to her.

"It's on honor, sir. I've heard stories." she shook his hand.

"Well, we'd better not hang around here too long. We'll pick up unfriendlies." Yzak said.

They headed towards the chopper. Turning a backwards look, Yzak smiled and turned back towards the aircraft. Sitting next to Shiho as the helicopter began to lift off, he noticed that she angrily brushed a tear off her cheek. He reached to the side and thread his fingers through hers.

_Yes, Yzak, I'll marry you..._

Shiho looked at him. He did not need to say what was on his mind, she knew what he was thinking.

_It'll be okay. _

Giving him a shaky smile, she turned to watch out the window.

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Michael Rhinner sat at the bar, taking a drink of the vodka that was sitting in front of him. He unbuttoned the top of his collar, and dragged his hands through his hair.

"What's on your mind, kid?"

Michael looked up at the bartender, and let out a sigh.

"You know what I had to do today?"

"No. Enlighten me."

"I had to stand on a bridge and order my own people to attack my own home." Michael took a drink, "I work for a sick bastard."

"Don't we all."

Taking another sip of his drink, he set it back on the counter, "When I went into ZAFT, I never believed I would be working for..."

He stopped a moment, downed the rest of his drink, and paid the bartender. Walking down the hallway, he retreated to his quarters and sat on the edge of his bed, and stared at the floor. He was a failure.

An utter...failure.

Raising a hand, he pulled open the drower and lifted a picture frame out of it. Staring at the picture of him and his mother, a tear fell over his eyes and onto the glass. Setting it back in the nightstand, he slammed it loudly, and fell down backwards onto the bed. Staring at the ceiling, he knew in the back of his mind that he was going to be damned for whatever he was doing, working for a madman that was killing his own-

_Mother, father, brother..._

_I'm sorry._

He laid a hand on his face, feeling a headache comming through his eyes.

"Rough night?" a voice murmured from the shadows.

His eyes shot open, and he sat up. _Fuck, the pistol was on the other side of the-_

All the thoughts left his mind as something whacked him hard in the back of the head. He passed out onto the floor.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Great. He had a headache again.

_AGAIN._

_Wait a minute, what am I thinking? My whole fucking life is one huge headache._

Opening his eyes, he stared at the dark cell around him. He was sitting in a wooden chair, his hands cuffed to the chair, his uniform jacket had been upzipped when his captures had checked him for firearms and other weapons. His head was leaning back, and his eyes were focusing on the overhead ceiling fan that was slowly turning.

_Stereotypical. It's like some sort of mafia movie._

The door unlocked, and he moved his head slowly. A young girl walked in, carrying a tray of food and a small box with her. She was short, probably a little over 5 feet, with waist-length hair that was partially braided. The rest was bound at the base of her neck. She was wearing a simple blue t-shirt and a dark blue skirt.

"You're awake." she said, "I'm sorry they hit you so hard."

She had a kind aura around her, Michael did not feel threatened by her at all. Setting the tray on the table in the corner, she unlocked his cuffs.

"Are you sure you should unlock them?" he murmured, "I might be dangerous."

The girl smiled at him, "No, I don't think you are."

"What gives you that idea? You people just clubbed me over the head and kidnapped me."

"I'm sorry for that." she looked at him sympathetically.

He rubbed his wrists as she took off the cuffs. Opening the box, she took out a roll of gauze and a bottle of hydrongen peroxide.

"Here, let me look at it."

Michael stared at her, and then tipped his head to the side. There was a small cut on the back of his head. Soaking a little of the cloth, she dabbed it gently to the back of his head.

"I'm Michael." he said, "Michael Rhinner."

He did not know why he was telling her this, she just seemed receptive.

"Meyrin." she smiled, "Meyrin Hawke."

"Hawke." he murmured, "That name is familiar. Were you in ZAFT at one point?"

She smiled sadly, "In a past life." she said, "Hold that there."

He reached his hand back and pressed the white gauze to the back of his head. It stung a little, but not enough to bother him. She walked around towards the back, setting the bottle back in the box.

"I brought you some dinner." she said, "It's just around 8 pm. You should eat something, you've been out for over 5 hours."

"What?" he gaspd, "5 hours...once the administration knows I'm gone they'll-"

"Don't worry about that, Mr. Rhinner." she smiled, "We'll take care of it."

"Miss Hawke-"

"Don't worry."

Meyrin turned and knocked on the door, it opened. Michael stared in shock, and quickly stood up at the person that stood behind the door.

"Thank you, Meyrin." the woman said, "You are needed in the control room."

"Of course. Call me if you need anything." she glanced back and bowed once more, "It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Rhinner."

With that comment she left, leaving Michael alone with the middle-aged lady that had just entered his cell.

"You were a very difficult person to find, Mr. Rhinner."

"I make it that way." he replied, "Ezaria-san."

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Kira stood on the beachside, watching the sunset. It was the end of another long day. Slipping his hands in his pockets, he heaved a heavy sigh. His ears picked up the scuffle of sand and a baby's gurgling not to far away. Lacus was sitting on the deck playing with Akira. Somewhere on the edge of his mind, he heard a car go by, then a seagull cry over head, the rush of the waves...

Part of him wished he could be there forever.

Someone was walking towards him, he could hear it.

The person came to a stop next to him, taking a drink of the can of soda in his hand.

"Staring blankly at things will make people think you're mentally flipped, Yamato." the voice said, "At least blink or something."

"I was wondering when I would get to meet you, Yzak Jule." Kira looked at the tall, blue-eyed man next to him, "For someone that I've fought dozens of times, this is the first time I've met you face to face."

"Interesting, hm?"

A moment of silence past around them, and then Yzak shrugged.

"You should stare at the ocean sometimes, Jule." Kira replied before Yzak left, "It's good practice for the mind."

"How so?"

"It teaches you that life is never controlled, never the same."

Yzak stared at him, "On second thought, I find staring at the ocean very alarming."

Kira chuckled, "So do I."

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Ezaria pulled up a chair and sat neatly across from him. If he had never met her, it would not have been hard to tell that she was raised into nobelity. She was ladylike, stern, and very honest about her opinions in the right situations.

"What do you want with me?" he asked. Michael slowly sat, not wanting to seem overconfident. All he wanted was to report back so Djibril could not find another reason to attach his people.

"Tell me something, Mr. Rhinner, why do you work from Djibril?" she asked, "Do you actually believe in exterminating Coordiantors, or do you have another reason? Considering that you yourself is a Coordinator, I don't think there is a possibility of the first choice."

"It's my business."

"Now it's mine."

Michael contemplated telling Ezaria Jule to screw off.

"You seem awfully sure of yourself." he said.

"I want you to help me, Michael."

"What makes you think I will?"

"Because you want to."

Michael glared at her, and then adverted his eyes to the floor. He _did _want to, that was not a lie. But he was already too deep into the darkness, and he was not sure if he could get out.

"I was a personal friend of your family. You're mother and I-"

"Don't talk about my mother!" he snapped, "You don't know shit about me or why I do what I do!"

Ezaria glared at him, saying nothing and waiting for him to calm down.

"I need your help, Michael. I know that you want to, and you know that you want to."

He stood out of his chair and walked nervously around the room, wracking his hand through his hair.

"Let me out of here."

"No."

He glanced at her, and turned back to the wall.

"Okay." he said, "I'll help you. Tell me what I need to do."

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_The next chapter will be up after I get caught up with my other stories, I just wanted to post this one to get it out of the way. Send a review and tell me what you think :D_

_ Arigato _

_Lilith_


	11. Chapter 11

_Yay for a little downtime to prevent my insanity from becomming too far gone. _

_I hope you enjoy the new chapter, sorry for the wait!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Seed Destiny _

* * *

Djibril cursed out loud as he grabbed a stack of papers and viciously threw them across the room, much to the displeasure of the new aid that was assigned to him. 

Michael Rhinner, Djibril's right-hand aid, was missing. Witnesses placed him at the bar last night, and then when he did not report into work officers were sent to search his apartment. It was finally rumored that Michael was kidnapped by the extremists from Apirillius One. Normally, Djibril would have cared less, what was another Coordiantor gone missing? However, he could not be as carefree about this problem.

Michael was well adversed in many of the secrets and plans in Blue Cosmos. At this point, if Rhinner was unable to withstand the rebels, Djibril and Blue Cosmos in general would be taking a big hit.

"Is there any new information from intellegence?" Djibril asked, hoping it was good news. He needed something to counterbalance the news about Rhinner.

"Our informent has just sent word that a new ZAFT ship is being launched from Orb tommorrow." the young girl said. She was a brand new transfer from ZAFT, Sue Fredricksen. She was not as capable or skilled as Michael, but she was good enough.

"New ship?"

"The informent says that it's called the Coursica, and it's captained by a rather new captain." she said, "But there's something else."

"What is it?"

"The captain of the Coursica is Captain Shiho Hahnenfuss."

Djibril smirked, he recognized that name. Chairman Hahnenfuss had been well-known on the PLANT council before it was disbanded. He also knew that Shiho Hahnenfuss was a member of Yzak Jule's attack squad, the same Yzak Jule that he had spent over a year trying to hunt down.

"Mobilize a fleet." he said, "I want that ship and I want it's captain here by next week."

"Yes, sir."

He then ordered the aid to go and make whatever orders nessecary to bring Michael back at all costs.

Dead or alive.

* * *

Michael sat on a bed in a much better living space then the cell he was in earlier. There was a knock on the door, and Meyrin stood in the doorway, smiling uneasily. She had some folded clothes in her arms. 

"I brought you some new clothes. You can't wear your uniform here because it's too easily identified."

"Thanks." he took them from her.

"So, you're staying to help?"

"I'm not doing it for anyone here, I'm doing it for myself." he said, "Considering the fact that Ezaria-sama would not leave me alone till I agreed."

"That's wonderful." she smiled, "I'm glad you decided to stay."

"Oh?" he raised his eyebrows at her.

"Well...we could always use more skilled soldiers and hackers, and you seemed like a nice person."

Michael snorted, setting the clothes down, "Sorry, Miss Hawke. There's nothing nice about me."

"Really?" she smiled, "That's a shame. I'll look foreward to seeing you in the bridgeroom, Mr. Rhinner."

"Call me Michael."

She smiled, "I'll see you later, Michael."

He watched as she bowed and left his room. It had been such a long time since he had seen a bright smile like that. The type of smile that seemed to sink into his very soul and cheer him up.

"See ya." he murmured to himself.

* * *

Yzak sat in the conference room at Orb. Athrun was staring at him rather intently, and Cagali figgeted once more in her seat. As long as Athrun had known her, Cagali was never really nervous about anything except when they got married. But, then again, she had never met Yzak before. 

"Yzak, is something wrong?" Athrun asked.

Yzak raised an eyebrow.

Athrun had not failed to noticed that Yzak had been in a mood all day. The last two days were spent at Caridad and Malchio's residence, resting up and preparing for the next few weeks of hard work at Carpentaria, and the beginnings of trying to put together a force.

"Nothing."

Athrun made a face. They had already been talking and sitting in the conference room for the last three hours. Shiho Hahnenfuss, the new girl from PLANT that Athrun had just met, had managed to put forth some decent ideas and for that Athrun and Cagali had decided to promote her. She had then headed off to review her crew list and the agenda for tommorrow.

She was going to get her own ship.

Ever since that decision, Yzak had been basically non-responsive.

"Cagali?" Athrun turned to her, "I think we're done for the day. I'm going to chat with Yzak for a while, you want to head to dinner without me?"

Cagali stared at him, and nodded. As much as she wanted him to stay home, she knew well enough that Athrun meant to talk to Yzak about something personal. Since it was not anything she could help with, she nodded. Briefly touching his shoulder, she left the room.

"Nice little lady you've got there." Yzak said after the door shut.

"Thanks. I'm the lucky one." Athrun leaned foreward, "What's the deal, Yzak? What's you're problem? You volunteered to help me, so stop being such a stick and help."

Yzak glared at him, "Keep Hahnenfuss on my ship."

"The Voltaire has you and more then enough elites on it. There are other ships in Carpentaria that need capable captains, and Major Hahnenfuss is perfect for the job."

"I want her on my ship, Athrun. It's not a request."

"Why?"

Yzak opened his mouth and then shut it. Damn, he had panicked and now Zala was suspicious. Standing up, he walked out of the room and onto the balcony. Athrun stood next to him, slipping his hands in his pockets.

"What's the deal, Yzak?"

"She's my fiance."

_Woah. _

Athrun's eyes grew wide, "She's...what?"

"Shiho is my fiance." Yzak said, "And I want her on the Voltaire."

Athrun stared at him a moment and then sighed, "You know that marrying a subordinate is against regulations, Yzak. I surprised that you did something like this."

"So am I. Listen, Zala-"

"The Coursica is a newly built ship in ZAFT. It's got the same capabilites that the Voltaire has, and already has a fully selected crew. I've already sent the specs and crew roster to her."

Yzak glared at him.

"She's an excellent solider, Yzak. You know it and I know it. She deserves her own ship." Athrun said, "I'm sorry, my friend, but if we need to win this war she needs to be there."

Yzak understood this, and there was part of him that knew something like this would happen when he and Shiho returned to the real world for their sanctuary at Windside. Closing his eyes, he hung head head slightly, letting the wind blew through his hair.

"I'm sorry, Yzak." Athrun said, "But I am the leader of Orb. I can't-"

Yzak smirked, chuckling, "You always complained about not liking politics or being the center of attention, Zala, but you're quite good at it."

"I never said I wasn't." Athrun folded his arms.

Yzak sighed, "Alright, Zala, have it your way. When is she leaving?"

"Tommorrow."

Yzak felt his heart sink. He stuck his trembling hands into his pockets and turned around. After being so worried about getting them both screwed over for having a relationship, and then finding out that she was no longer his subordinate...Yzak suddenly felt like he needed to laugh at the irony.

"Yzak-"

"I'm heading out." the ZAFT captain looked back at him, "I've got an errand to run, I won't be back for the rest of the night so if you need to contact me, call my cell. Zala?"

"Hm?"

"I don't blame you for doing your job."

Athrun sighed, "I'm sorry, Yzak. I really am."

Yzak smiled, "I know."

* * *

Shiho stared at the uniform hanging on the wall of her quarters. She was almost afraid to touch it. The white fabric felt cool under her fingers, and almost too foreign for her to stomach. Her transfer papers still sat on her bed, she was afraid to look at them too. 

She was just plain afraid.

It was the first time in a long while that she had lived in a room by herself. Yzak was always there, whether they were on good terms or not. He was always company, someone that could remind her that she was not alone in life.

There was a knock on her door, but she did not hear it.

Shiho sat on her bed, her back facing the door. She just wanted to go back a week, or maybe even a month ago-

The knock was louder, "Shiho! It's me. Can I come in?"

"It's open." she said.

Yzak opened the door to her quarters, and shut it behind him. He stared at her back, and sighed.

"I heard."

Shiho gasped, and then looked at the floor, "Yzak-"

"I came to bring you something I owe you."

She listened to him walk across her room, and he knelt down in front of her. Looking up into her eyes, he laid a hand on her cheek, stroking his thumb on her cheekbone. There was tears in the corners of her eyes and they were slightly red, like she had been crying.

"Yzak..."

"I have something for you." he said, "I saw it on the way here, and I just had to get it for you."

"What is it?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper, rubbing her eyes.

He reached into the pocket of his jacket, and pulled something out. Taking her left hand she watched as he slipped the glittering golden band on her hand. There was a large ruby stone in the middle, with two diamonds on the side. She stared at it a moment, and then at Yzak. He had that same, sad smile on his face.

"You're my fiance, you need a ring."

She did burst into tears then. Leaning foreward, she touched her forehead to his shoulder.

"This is really silly..." he smiled, tangling his fingers in her hair, "...after all this time, now you're the same rank as me and we still get split up."

Shiho bit her lip. Before she felt like she would break down right in front of him, she grabbed his face and kissed him. He seemed to melt in her arms, his own arms snaked around her back. Getting slightly frustrated, he picked her up and dumped her on the bed. She did not even try to stop him as he began to strip off her clothes.

Her transfer papers slid off her bed and fluttered to the floor.

* * *

Shinn sat on the couch, a hand tucked under his chin as he stared into blank space. It was nightfall outside, and even though he would have normally been asleep, for some reason he could not. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he did not hear Lunamaria stroll down the stairs from her room. 

"Shinn?"

He perked up slightly as she sat next to him on the couch, circling an arm around his waist.

"You worried about something, honey?" she asked.

He let his head drop to the side, resting on the top of hers.

"We're going back to war soon, Luna." he asid, "I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared."

She sighed, "ZAFT trained us to be weapons. We spent out childhoods doing nothing but fighting and watching our friends die...but Shinn, we have a chance to fight to protect people this time. But it is still scary, if you weren't afraid I would be worried something was wrong with you."

He did not say anything for a minute, and then he smiled.

"What would I do without you, Luna?"

She laughed.

* * *

When the alarm went off the next morning, Yzak opened his eyes, and promptly shut them again. Shiho lay in his arms, her back to his chest, her legs tangeled with his under the sheets. After letting the alarm go off for a couple seconds, he slammed the noise off, and slowly sat up. She yawned, opening her eyes. 

"Morning." she smiled at him.

"Morning."

Laying a hand on his cheek, she gently kissed him, and then slid out of bed. He lay back against the pillows as he watched her disappear into the bathroom to take a shower. When she came out, he took his own shower. Comming out of the bathroom, she was finishing the buttons on the white uniform. Yzak stood in the doorway and stared at her, and then he smiled.

"White is a good color on you."

"You think?" she asked, looking at herself in the mirror, "I could get used to it."

Yzak chuckled, "So how does it feel to have your own ship, Captain Hahnenfuss?"

She laughed, "You should be able to answer that question. It's nice to know that I'll be in control of everything. Who knows, maybe we'll end up fighting on the same battlefield together one of these days."

Yzak nodded, pulling on his own clothes, "I would look foreward to that."

When he finished getting dressed, Shiho stepped foreward and helped him with the buttons. He watched her with a grave look on his face. Finally gripping her left hand, he kissed the top of it, staring at the ring.

"I'll never take it off." she said, "I'll wear it for the rest of my life."

He smiled, "When Blue Cosmos is kicked off PLANT and we get our lives back, we'll have the biggest wedding that anyone's ever seen."

"With rice and doves?"

He laughed, "We'll see." Picking up her bags, he took her hand in his, "Come on Captain Hahnenfuss, we don't want to be late for your first day."

* * *

Athrun stood on the airfeild with Kira, and Cagali was off chatting with Kisaka when Athrun saw the jeep drive up. Shiho Hahnenfuss stepped out of the passenger seat when Yzak stopped the car. She saluted to Athrun when they reached the small crowd. 

"I'm so glad that you were able to take this position, Captain."

"No problem, sir." Shiho smiled at Athrun, "I think it should be fun.'

Athrun chuckled, and then turned towards a man that was heading towards them. The Nazsca-Class ship sat off in the distance. Yzak thought it looked like a nice ship, and he was satisfied with how it looked. It was completely white, except for the red and blue thick stripe that was painted around the entire hull. A ZAFT insignia and a Orb seal were printed on the side.

The tall, dark-haired, frenchman that was in about his late twenties saluted to everyone and turned to Athrun.

"The preparations are complete, Lord Zala. We'll be able to leave within the hour." he said.

"Good." Athrun said, "This is the first-officer of the Coursica, Commander Remi Fredricksen. Commander, this is Captain Shiho Hahnenfuss."

"Welcome aboard, Cap'n." he shook her hand, "It's an honor to have a legend on board. I've already had your things moved into the captain's quarters, and all the reports are already on your desk."

"Thank you. I'm really excited to see what everyone is capable of." she said.

His eyes fell on the taller man next to her, he saluted briefly and then shook Yzak's hand. It was then that Yzak remembered that he had not introduced himself either.

"Yzak Jule."

His watched Fredricksen's eyes bulge out a moment, and decided that there was one thing he missed about being in the military. Everyone was always in such 'awh' of simply hearing his name.

"It's an honor, sir." the Commander smiled, "I never really thought I'd get to meet you either."

"Well, life is just full of surprises, hm?"

"Indeed, sir." he nodded, "Well, the ship is ready to leave, Cap'n. I'll drive you down there."

"Sure." Shiho smiled, "Just give me a moment."

"Course." he saluted, and then headed back.

She shook Athrun's hand, and turned to Yzak. He stared at her a moment, unable to think of anything to say to her. Sensing his apprehension, she took the initiative and threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Take care, Yzak." she said.

"Give 'em hell." he said, "A bit of captainly advise?"

She looked at him.

"Go by your instincts. There may never be data, or reports, or information...and in those cases always go on your gut feelings." he said, "And trust your crew."

She kissed him on the mouth, not caring that people were watching. When she pulled away, there was a slightly blush on the ends of his cheeks, and she guessed probably on hers as well.

"I'll do that." she said, "May the gods keep you safe, Yzak."

With that, he let her hand slide out of his grip, and she turned her back to him. Giving a brief bow towards Cagali, who smiled and bowed back, she walked away from them. With her black jacket tucked under her arm, she climbed into the car and her first-officer drove her towards her own ship. Yzak felt like a part of himself had just been ripped out of his chest, and that he was missing something.

"You'll see her again." Athrun smiled, clamping a hand on his shoulder.

Yzak had a bad feeling, he really did. Rarely his bad feelings were wrong, but he hoped to the gods that this one was.

"I'd better."

* * *

_Send a review and tell me what you think!_

_Time for me to take a nap :P_

_Arigato_

_Lilith  
_


	12. Chapter 12

_Enjoy :D_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Seed Destiny_

* * *

Shiho followed her first-officer through the halls of the ship. She knew the blueprints by heart, but it still helped having a tour of the Coursica. 

"...this is the mess hall." Commander Fredricksen continued, "The cook's name is Fritz. He's a nice guy, but don't catch him on a bad day."

Fritz was a short, slightly balding man standing behind the counter in the mess hall. He waved to Shiho, and she smiled and waved back. She would have to go introduce herself personally later.

Remi Fredricksen was a very cheerful soul. He talked a lot, which was good because Shiho was usually uneasy in new situations. She generally nodded her head, asked him a question here and there, and waved to people. He was a first generation Coordinator, and from his file, she remembered that he had spent the greater part of his life in the military. His parents were dead, but he had on younger sister. His emphasis was intellegence, and from what she was told he was _very_ good at what he did.

They entered the bridgeroom, where she was greeted with smiling faces.

"This is the CIC Controller, Leutinant Saahl Hehn." Remi said.

Saahl Hehn was an east indian man from New Dehli. His expertice was communications, and he had the ability to crack any encryption, which would come in handy. She shook Saahl's hand, he bowed his head slightly, "Welcome to the ship, ma'am."

"Thank you." she smiled.

Fredricksen continued around the room. The technical officer, Sargent Maria Yukishiro, was a run-away from Sextillius 9. She was a short teenage girl, Shiho guessed that she probably was no older then 19, who had a speciality for computers. The weapons officer Leutinant Amon Lothaire was a very tall, dark-haired, cajun man from the United States. He had a thick southern accent, and Shiho had the feeling that he could brench-press twice her own weight.

"Here's you're seat." Fredricksen smiled, pointing to the captain's chair. He handed her a file, "We'll be departing soon."

"Thank you." Shiho took the file and looked it over, "Has my Deep Arms been loaded?"

"This morning." he replied, "Everything is functioning in top condition. The engineer was impressed. Saying something about soldiers from the old order were taught better mobile suit ediquette."

Shiho laughed, "I don't know about the old order part, but I've had many squad leaders. All who expected top shape on mobile suits."

"I can believe that." he folded his arms, "Although, I never really was able to get completely used to the idea of fighting my battles in a giant robot."

Leutinant Lothaire snorted from his post, "That's cause every time you get in one you fall on your ass."

There was a wave of giggling and laughter around the room.

"That's rich, Lothaire." Fredricksen sneered, "What was your favorite pastime in that Louisana swamp you grew up in? Hog-tying alligators or something? You're one to talk about being graceful or not."

Lothaire smirked, "Up yours, sir." then glanced at Shiho, "Sorry, ma'am."

Shiho shook her head, still laughing. Everyone on the bridge got along so well, it was like she had known these people all of her life.

Sargent Yukishiro giggled, "We're soldiers, who cares about being graceful?"

"I care." Lothaire said, "Hey, Hehn? You got anything to say on this?"

Hehn smiled, "I have no desire to join in on this conversation."

Fredricksen glanced at Hehn, his smirk never fadded, "You're just saying that because back at your homecountry you were nationally ranked for ballroom dance."

"As I said." Hehn smiled, "I have no desire to argue."

Shiho scribbled some notes on the report and was about to say something when Hehn annouced that all hands checked in. They were ready to depart and head for space. Shiho handed the report back to Fredricksen, her engagement band caught in the room lights, and Sargent Yukishiro smiled.

"That's a beautiful ring, captain." she smiled, "How long have you been engaged? There wasn't anything in the report."

"Just a little under a week." Shiho said.

"Well, well." Lothaire clapped, "I'd say that's reason enough for a little party in the mess hall after everyone's shifts!"

"You nut." Yukishiro made a face, "You just want an excuse to get drunk. Last time you did that, Hehn and I had to haul your drunk butt back to your room on our shoulders."

"As I said, parties, cherie. Good times."

There was another wave of laughter, and Shiho smiled.

_I think I could get used to this._

* * *

Sue stood in Djibril's office. 

"Any luck with Rhinner?"

"None, sir. The rebels have him hid well. Our contacts from the underground were caught last week, and since then it's been difficult."

"Ezaria Jule is no fool." he said, "What about my other demand?"

"The Coursica is launching from earth today." she looked at her clipboard, "Squads 6-8, as well as a Naszca-Class warship have been sent. They will be tracking the Coursica for a while before they can get enough data to gadge an appropriate attack.."

"Great." he frowned.

"There's nothing that can help that, sir." she said, "Our informent from the Coursica has warned us about Hahnenfuss. She's a ZAFT specialist. Trained by the top instructs, squad leaders and-"

"I know all about her military history. Is there anything in her personal file?"

Sue glanced at her notes, "Apparently, she's engaged."

Djibril's eyebrows instantly went up, "That's useful. To whom?"

"It doesn't say. Apparently it was too recent to be recorded in to reports, however, it's suspected that it's someone important in ZAFT, and maybe Orb as well."

"I see." he said, "See if you can figure out who it is. Maybe we can use this whole situation to our advantage somehow."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Michael sat on his bed, looking at the picture that was now sitting up on his nightstand. It was the same picture he kept in his room. _How the hell did they-_

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

It opened, and Meyrin smiled, "You ready for your first day?"

He stood up, and followed her out of the room. Today, he was going to spent most of the day simply researching things for Ezaria Jule. There was not much else he was going to do till they trusted him more.

Michael pulled his jacket over his shoulders. It was cold on the base, and the rooms were on limited heating to conserve energy. He wore a pair of black slacks, a grey dress shirt, and a black windbreaker over it.

"Cold?" she asked.

"A little. Aren't you?"

She was wearing her regular t-shirt and skirt mix.

"I've gotten used to it." she smiled, "Last night was chilly though."

He found a smile creeping on the ends of his mouth, she always made him smile for some reason.

They reached the doorway to the control room, and Meyrin stopped.

"Ready to be shocked and amazed?"

"It's just a control room. How can it be that big of a deal?"

Meyrin shook her head, "It's the control room for the ENTIRE network. It's pretty cool."

"Well, let's see it."

She chuckled, and swiped her card.

Michael's mouth dropped open.

It was filled with computers, desks, wires, screens...everything was connected together to a large flat-bed screen in the middle of the room. It displayed everything from war plans to a data map. There was also a large communication screen in the front of the room. There were sounds of computers, rustling papers, and people talking furiously.

"This room is the center of control." Meyrin smiled, "It's connected to the main computer that was originally used by PLANT supreme council. It's the second most powerful computer in existence, next to Orb's supercomputer."

"Wow."

He meant it. Michael was impressed.

"Come on, Ezaria-sama is waiting for us in her office."

Ezaria Jule sat at her desk in the far end of the control room. It was a clean office, despite the number of people constantly running in and out of it. On the wall, her council uniform and commander's uniform hung on the wall. There were a few things on her desk, but the one noticeable thing was a framed picture. It was really the only personal item in the room other then the bamboo plant sitting on the shelf next to her desk.

It was a picture of herself, her husband, and her son. From what Michael knew from records, she married a member of the Supreme Council the first year she was inducted into the council. He was politician of PLANT nobility, although, he had also been a legendary soldier in ZAFT. It probably explained how their son Yzak turned out.

According to records, Michael also knew that Admiral Jule had been killed in a battle two years before Bloody Valentine. Michael also knew that Yzak Jule was currently a fugitive.

"Sit down, Mr. Rhinner." she said.

He sat down.

"I have a few tasks for you to begin on for me." she handed him a few files, "All of them require you to hack into the Blue Cosmos mainframe. Can you handle that for me?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good." she said, "If you need any help, ask Meyrin. She's the best hacker we have on the base."

Meyrin smiled, obviously happy with the little praise.

"Alright, you two, dismissed."

As Michael was about to leave, waiting till Meyrin was out of earshot, he turned.

"I've been tracking Yzak Jule for some time, Ezaria-sama."

She froze, looking up at him.

"He's in Orb right now, Zala is going to put him in management of Carpentaria for the time being. He spent the greater part of his time in Windside." he said, "He's engaged."

She gasped, her hands shaking slightly, "Why did you never tell Djibril this?"

He gave her a sad smile, "I know about the well-being of _your_ son, it's not my information to tell. I just thought you might want to know that he was alright."

"Thank you, Michael."

"Welcome." he nodded, leaving the room.

Ezaria stood up, and took a small glass from the shelf. Taking a bottle of blackberry brandy from one of the cuboards, she poured herself a small shot. Looking over at the picture on the desk, she smiled to herself.

"Our son is getting married, Nick." she held up the glass, "I guess we can drink to that."

* * *

Cagali sat on the bed in her room, brushing out her hair. She would be lying if she said she was really that happy at the moment. Aside from all the meetings, conferences, and other things...those were all every-day events that she could deal with. But, if the military advisors denied Athrun's request, he was going to be sent back to the front tommorrow. There were a series of battles breaking out in the Phillippines, and although his presence was not required, it would insure victory. 

The door opened, and Athrun walked into the room.

"What did they say?"

Athrun stared at her grimly a moment. She frowned, a feeling of panic and dread washed over her. She could not loose him again.

"Athrun-"

"I'm staying."

She stared at him a moment, and then taking a pillow she chucked it at him.

"You idiot! You scared me for a moment!"

Athrun was laughing now, holding the pillow in his hands. He set the pillow aside, slipping off his jacket and shoulder rig, piling them on the chair. Unbuttoning his collar he crawled onto the bed with her. She curled against his side, resting her head on his shoulder.

"If I had stayed in ZAFT, I would have had the option of retiring this year." he said, "I've wracked up enough good feelings in the council that they trust me as a full-time Orb leader."

"That's good." she said, playing with his tie that hung loosely on his neck.

"You know what else that means?"

"What?"

He smirked, "I get to stay here as long as I want. I can go and fight whenever I want, but I also have the choice of never stepping into a mobile suit again."

Cagali stared at him, "Whatever makes you happy, Athrun. I won't ask you to do more then you can."

"Hm?"

"I know you. Kira is the same way." she said, suddenly grinning at him, "You like to stand in the background, but once someone is in trouble you have to be the hero."

"Of course." he said, "That's the way it goes."

She pinched his nose, "Athrun, how did I ever end up with someone as wonderful as you?"

He gripped her hand that was in front of his face, rolling over, he pinned her to the sheets. Touching his lips to her neck, he raised his head and kissed her. One of her hand pulled the tie off his neck, tossing it aside as she wrapped one of her legs around his. The kiss that he had originally intended to be gentle quickly turned into a linger. Her skilled fingers were beginning to undo his shirt.

Feeling her touch his bare chest, he smiled at her, and spoke the last coherent thought he would have for a while.

"You forget, Cagali. I'm the lucky one."

* * *

Shiho walked around her cabin, unpacking things. As she ruffled through her bags, she stopped on a small, red-paper wrapped box that had been stuck in her things. Staring at it, and not remembering putting it in there, she sat on her bed as she began to unwrap it. 

A piece of paper fluttered to the floor. Reading it, a smile crept across her face.

_I thought this would be something you'd like to have. Brag about me, I don't mind._

_I always thought that a week of dish duty is a better punshiment that reporting people. Trust me. And it's funny as hell._

_Yzak_

Shiho chuckled to herself, and looked at what he had put in the box. It was a picture in a simple, black frame. It had been taken a month after the festival at Windside, the first picture she ever had taken with him. She was wearing a billowing shirt and a sweater, but it had been cold that day. Someone had snapped a shot of Yzak slipping his jacket over her shoulders.

Touching the picture gently, she set it on the nightstand next to her bedside. There was a beep at her door and she stood up, opening it, Maria stood on the other side.

"Sargent?" Shiho looked at her, "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing." she said, "Come on."

Shiho walked with her down the hallway.

"So, what's the deal with Lothaire and Fredricksen?" Shiho asked, having noticed earlier that the two men did not get along.

"Well, Commander Fredricksen is french and Leutinant Lothaire is cajun french. Lothaire thinks the Commander is stuck up, and the Commander thinks Lothaire is a barbarrian."

"Ah."

"Don't worry, though. They don't beat on each other or anything that extreme."

"Thank goodness." Shiho said, "I would hate to be writing referrals for two of my top officers right off the bat."

Maria smiled, "Leave managing them to me, ma'am. I do pretty well."

Shiho laughed, "I hold you to that, Sargent."

The door to the mess hall opened, and they were met with soda, cake, and poker.

* * *

Dearka half-awake, his arm curled around Miriallia. Her hand was knotted up in his chest as she slept. He could lay awake for hours just listening to her. Most nights, he would fall asleep being hypnotized by her and the sounds of the waves in the distance. 

He could not stop thinking about the message he had picked up in the GINN. Miriallia still did not know about it, but he planned on telling her tommorrow. Till then, it was something that was running around in his head. Part of him wanted to get up and rush head-on into battle, part of him would rather be shot then give up his life.

As he was about to fall asleep, his eyes snapped open. There something creeping on the outter edge of his senses. He slowly edged Miriallia off him, she groaned as she settled back into the pillows. Sliding out of bed, he opened the balcony door and walked out onto the deck. Listening to the air and sounds around him, he frowned,

"Shit."

"Dearka?" Miriallia whispered, sitting up, "What's wrong?"

"8 scouting Zaku's headed this way." he said, "An aircraft carrier, all are armed with a buster rifle, probably sabers..."

Miriallia was quiet, "Is it Blue Cosmos?"

Glancing off at the Pacific Ocean off to the east, Dearka let out a sigh and headed to the closet to pull on his clothes.

"Yeah."

* * *

_Now that I look at this story, I laugh becuase originally I didn't think too much about it. When I was first beginning to write it, it started off with a oneshot, and for some reason that I started getting ideas from. I had no idea people would actually like it that much.  
_

_Thanks for all the reviews. They really make my day :D_

_Arigato_

_Lilith_


	13. Chapter 13

_Yay for the update. This is sort of a filler chapter. If anyone is ever curious, this story is probably going to be a little over 20 chapters. Lately, I've noticed that due to having so many stories going at once, I tend to forget about some of them. Not long enough where people want to stab me, but long enough where I feel really guilty about it. So the cut-off on this story will probably be 21 or 22. I think anyway._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Seed Destiny_

* * *

Dearka began to pull on a pair of jeans, a shirt, and had grabbed his windbreaker when he noticed that Miriallia was dressing just as quickly as he was. 

"What are you doing?" he asked, gripping her shoulders, "You have to stay here! It's too dangerous."

"No, Dearka, I won't let you do this by yourself."

He pulled his jacket on, "The force will be here in 20 minutes at the most, that gives me plently of time to bail the GINN out of the Miller's barn before Blue Cosmos brings any more innocents on this. If they want me they can have me, but I won't let any of my friends and family here be dragged into some old war."

She chased after him as he marched down the hallway, still wearing only a tanktop and her underwear, "Dearka! Stop! I won't let you-"

His patience snapped, "Miriallia, there is a Blue Comsos force after me! If they catch me, most likely-"

Dearka had been to distracted by his concern for her that he did not have time to react to her grabbing his face and kissing him. It was not the same kiss that she usually gave him. Instead of sensing her happiness, there was saddness behind this one. She opened his mouth with her tongue, cutting off his earlier sentence. She kissed him until he thought his own legs would give out from under him.

"Don't say such depressing things." she said, her voice barely above a whisper, "We fought so hard to get to where we are, to have each other. Let me come with you, Dearka. I don't want to go anywhere without you. Even if it means going into hell."

Dearka stared at her, and then threw his arms around her.

"Okay, get your stuff. We're leaving."

She grinned, kissed him once more, and ran back up the stairs to get dressed. Throwing on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and her jacket, she grabbed her camera bag and headed downstairs. Dearka was digging through the closet, wrapping a black shoulder rig around his shoulders, he then pulled out a gun and strapped it onto his holster rig. Miriallia disappeared into the office, stuffing her papers, a zoom lense, and her camera into her bag.

"Ready?" he asked, opening the door. When she nodded, he locked the door behind her when they left.

* * *

"Elthman!" 

Dearka turned to see Zack running up the bend, "Hey-"

He raised a hand and caught the keys that Dearka chucked at him. Dearka smiled, "Watch the house for us, Zack. Mir and I are going on an adventure."

Zack looked at the keys, and smiled at Dearka, "Tell me one thing."

"What?" Dearka walked up to him.

"What unit were you in at Jachin Due?"

Dearka was quiet a moment, "I wasn't on any ZAFT unit. I was on the Archangel."

Zack smirked, and stuck out his hand. Dearka shook it as Zack chuckled, "Good luck, man. I'll keep house for you."

"Thanks."

Dearka grabbed Miriallia's hand and they ran off towards the parked jeep. Jumped into the driver's seat and they drove off down the road. Zack chuckled to himself and saluted towards the direction the jeep had disappeared. Bill Miller stood on the porch as Dearka ran towards him.

"May is checking the lines. There's a Blue Cosmos squad heading this way." he said, "You know, Major, you dont have to take all this weight alone."

Dearka smiled at the young woman next to him, "I'm not alone, Bill. We'll be back."

"You'd better." Bill folded his arms, "Take care of that lady with you."

"I will."

They bid their good-byes. Part of Miriallia felt slightly sad seeing the town that she and Dearka had lived in for the past year and a half. It was a great place, calm and far away from had battle. Running away from that place was the least they could do for all the friends and family that had made there. Protecting them from the war that they were used to dealing with, but everyone else there was not.

Dearka powered up the GINN as Miriallia lowered herself into the cockpit.

"Hold on as tight as you can." he said.

She jumped, slightly startled as the mobile suit came to life. The roof of the barn was frail enough from Dearka to simply break through it. Climbing out onto the fields, he gave one last glance towards the Miller's farm, and then took off in the direction of the Blue Cosmos forces. They had enough time to create a distraction to lead the squad away.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

Dearka looked over the radar, "I was thinking Orb, but there isn't enough fuel to get that far. We'll have to stop at Carpentaria. You okay with that?"

"Sure."

He was quiet a minute, "Miriallia, there's something I gotta tell you. I was planning on telling you today, but I was unsure about how you'd react about it."

"What?"

"Yesterday when I was working on the GINN, I picked up a long-range communication from Orb. It was from Lacus."

She stared at him a moment, and then looked away, "She needs our help, doesn't she?"

"Yeah."

Miriallia looked down at Dearka as he piloted the suit. He looked concerned, worried, intent...a whole wave of emotions and feelings were rushing through his eyes, but his face looked stone cold. She touched his shoulder, and he looked up at her smiling face.

"Let's go help, Dearka." she told him.

Dearka smiled back, patting her hand before he turned back to the controls.

* * *

Yzak walked down the hallways of Carpentaria. He had a week to whip the base back into shape before the Voltaire was ready for launch. The moment he arrived, he hit the ground running. After two days, he still had not slept, and his alertness depended on the amount of coffee he was able to get his hands on. Grasping the report in his hands, he groaned, 

"These storage houses need to be organized by serial number and department. The ammunitions depot has it's own building for a reason! I should not be seeing crates of printer paper in the same werehouse as the 72mm ammunition shells."

"S-Sorry sir!" the enlisted soldier hurried off to fix the problem. Yzak turned around into the control room. The training practices were going on the airfeild. Glancing over the radar to see the placement of the squad in training, he grabbed the mic that opened a clear link to the mobile suits,

"What the hell are you all doing?! What is this...a training simulation or a dance class?" he yelled, "I want you to start over from the top!"

"Yes sir!"

He watched them begin the simulation again. Looking at the clock, he excused himself for a ten minute sit-down. It was basically all he had time for. Carpentaria had gone to hell in a handbasket since the war started. After many of the frontline battles, many of the officers had been recalled back to PLANT to fight the main force in space, and some had been killed in previous conflicts. Although Yzak had to admit that it was not as bad as it could have been, considering the base had been run by only a leutinant-ranked soldier the last couple years.

Grabbing a cup of black coffee, he sat at the table. Taking a sip, he found his thoughts wandering back over to thinking about the well-being of his new fiance. He still needed to call his mother and tell her, although he knew very well that was not a good idea. Zala had informed him that over the last year, Ezaria Jule had been leading a rebellion in PLANT.

It was just like his mother to do something like that. Yzak never had a doubt in his mind that she was more then capable of even being the Chairwoman of PLANT of she ever had to be.

As he took a drink, he startled slightly as the air-raid siren went off.

"Captain Jule to the bridge!"

Yzak swore, taking another drink of coffee, and headed down the hallway.

* * *

He walked down the hallway, entering his quarters. Leaving his jacket on the chair, he stuck a data disk into his computer, opened the regular encoded channel, and began to upload the data. Glancing out of the window to see space around him, he let out a sigh. He was always felt easier when he was in space. 

The communication line opened. To his surprise, he stared into the face of Djibril.

"Djibril-sama." he sat up straight, "I was expecting-"

"I know who you were expecting. She's...unavailable at the moment." he smirked, seeing the horrified look on the soldier's face, "Do not worry, she's only running and errand for me. She works almost as hard as my previous aid."

The brown-haired man glared at him, "You bastard...what about our deal? I give you the information, you release my sister."

"The deal was that you give us information that leads that the capture of one of the Orb elites." he said, "This new information better prove useful."

"It will."

"Good." Djibril nodded, "Till then, I'll tell your lovely sister that you send your greetings and await your next report. I hope the next one will provide even better information."

"Yes, sir."

The computer turned off. He sunk in the chair, laying a hand over his face. Tears threatened to run over the edges of his eyes as a wave of fear swept through him. His sister, his only living family, was still trapped on Aprillius. It had been over a year since Djibril had forced her to work for him, along with a whole other group of ZAFT employees.

There was a beep from the com link from the bridge.

"Commander, we've left the atmosphere. You're needed on the bridge."

"I'll be right there." Remi spoke.

Hearing another beep as the overhead com shut off, he let out an uneasy sigh. Fredricksen had not expected that his new captain would be so...amazing. He liked her the moment she stepped on the ship. If she had not been engaged already, he had no doubt that he was try to make his own move on her. She was beautiful, and had an aura about her that made him feel like he would be cleansed of all of his sins by simply being in her presence.

Remi already knew who she was engaged was. Maybe he was sending information to Blue Cosmos to save his sister, but there was part of him that could not bring himself to report this. His sister would never forgive him if he did such a thing.

Standing up, he slipped the uniform jacket back on his shoulders, and returned to his shift.

* * *

"Whats the problem?" Yzak stormed into the control room. 

"There's a Blue Cosmos fleet headed this way." the Leutinant told thim, "Not a large fleet, but they seem to be chasing something."

"Put it on the screen."

Yzak stared at the magnified image. He could make out the blue mobile suits from Blue Cosmos that were racing through the air like a flock of crows. Staring at it a moment longer, he could just barely make out a small, white-blue mobile suit in front of them. It was being attacked by the squadron.

_Is that a GINN?_

"See if you can hail that mobile suit." Yzak pointed, "In the meantime, squad 1-3 should be ready for launch. They may not be ready enough, but we don't have a choice. Cosmos has breeched our territory."

"Aye sir." the Leutinant turned to shout the orders to the multitude of people in the room.

Yzak folded his arms, getting ready to shout a new string of orders with the helmsman answered him.

"The GINN is hailing us, sir."

Yzak stared at him, it was hailing _them_? "Well, put it on screen!"

The face that came up made Yzak want to laugh, "You sneaky son of a bitch. Where have you been?"

"Well, it's good to see you too!" Dearka snapped, "If you don't mind, I'm in a bit of a jam here."

"No, prob." Yzak said, ordering the launch of the mobile suits, "You've got docking clearence."

"Thanks, man." Dearka saluted, "Long time no see, Yzak."

"Yeah." Yzak cracked a smile as the screen blinked out.

* * *

Cagali loved waking up in the morning after sleeping with Athrun. He took it upon himself to wake up every morning, while he lived with her in Orb, to open the bedroom curtains. Athrun had always told her that as much as he loved space, he always loved waking up to the morning sun. 

She would pretend to be asleep, watching him slide out of the sheets and stride over to the curtains. When he first slept with her, she felt a little weird just wanting to stare at him. From years of military training, and the weight lifting he did when he was not in the field, his back was perfectly sculpted. Cagali could see every single one of the muscle on his back, watching them bend as he walked about the room.

He turned around after opening the curtains, and crawled back into bed. Shivering slightly, he made a mental note to ask to have the thermastate turned up for the next night. Looking up, he found himself staring into a pair of brown eyes.

"Cagali." he murmured.

"Hi."

He leaned foreward, brushing his lips over hers, slowly pulling himself over her. Her fingers tugged on the ends of his hair so hard that he found himself being pulled down. She threw him on his back, pressing her own lips to his chest.

"What are you doing?" he smirked, barely managing to get out a sentence.

"I was thinking about that conversation we had at the beach house." she said, "I was thinking about it all day yesterday."

"Yeah?"

He let her take control. His head rest back on the pillows, his hair spread around him. She loved watching his face when he just sat back and let her touch him. Most of the time, Athrun was so good at keeping his emotions hidden that when anything flashed over his eyes, she loved every moment of it.

"We shouldn't have to wait till the end of all this shit to have our own family." she said, looking into his green eyes, "We both deserve our own lives, and we're not getting any younger."

"Yeah."

"Athrun-"

"Cagali." he laid his hands on her face, "Whatever you want to do is okay with me. Okay?"

She smiled and nodded, as she was about to open her mouth to say something else, his cell rang. She groaned, resting her head on his shoulder as he picked it off the nightstand.

"Zala."

"I hope I'm not disturbing anything, sir." Kisaka asked him, "But there's something here that your help may be needed."

"What's wrong?" he asked, running a hand over the smooth skin on his wife's back. She leaned over, kissing his neck as he spoke on the phone.

"Blue Cosmos is attacking Carpentaria." he said, "Jule called. He said that they were the pilot of a GINN they were chasing. Your presence is need on Carpentaria ASAP."

Athrun tried desperatly to keep his wits about him, which was difficult considering he could feel a light brush of fingers over his stomach. He bit the inside of his cheek, "Why doesn't Yzak just send him here?"

"The pilot of the GINN was Dearka Elthman."

Athrun stared at the ceiling a moment, trying to focus on the turning fan, and he sighed, "Prep Justice for me, Kisaka. This is one trip I need to make alone."

"Of course, sir."

Athrun hung up the phone, and rolled over quickly, pinning her hands over her head.

"You're evil." he made a face, "I was on the phone with Kisaka."

"So?" she sneered, lifting her head slightly to kiss him. His arms curled around her, arching her back himself as he trailed his mouth to her neck to her collar.

"You have to go." she said, "It's okay. I'll be here when you get back."

"I swear to god, Cagali, one of these days we're going to play hookie from this place and I won't let you out of bed for a week."

She smiled, touching his nose, "I'll hold you to that promise."

* * *

Yzak stood in the bay as the mobile suits returned. He shook hands with the squad leader. All in all they had done well for their first sortie, but they still needed work. For now, they needed rest. 

Looking out at the airfeild to see multiple downed Zakus, many that were taken down by Dearka himself, Yzak started to feel the world closing around him again. Sure, he was only on this base till the Voltaire was ready to go, but it was just one more added stress in his life. Commanding battles and running bases took energy. Energy that he was not sure that he had anymore.

The GINN walked into the docking bay, and Yzak stood perfectly still as the mobile suit stopped just a few feet from him. When the cockpit door opened, Dearka desended from the suit, holding onto the toerope. One of his arms were wrapped around Miriallia, and she stood behind him as he walked up to greet Yzak.

They did not say anything for a moment. Dearka smiled,

"Yo."

Yzak glanced at Miriallia, "So that's her?"

"Miriallla Haw, this is Yzak Jule." he introduced, "Yzak, this is Miriallia."

"Pleasure." Yzak shook her hand, "What the hell is wrong with you two? Facing a battallion of Zakus by yourself? That's even crazy for you, Dearka."

"I had other obligations, it was the only choice I had." he said, "So, what have you been up to, man? Did Windside treat you well? Where's Hahnenfuss? What's with the black streaks in your hair? Looks like you dropped a can of black paint on your head-"

"Long story. I'll tell you about it later."

Miriallia looked around her as they headed through the base. It was obvious that Yzak did not really care that she was not originally from ZAFT. Technically, she was no longer a military soldier, only a citizen. But in light of finding herself in the heart of one of the largest ZAFT bases, it brought up old memories. Good ones as well as bad ones.

They sat in Yzak's office, who was now drinking a cup of coffee, and chatted. Miriallia suspected that Jule was the type to be addicted to coffee. However, from her initial meeting, there seemed to be other things then just war that bothered him. Yzak generally had the aura of a troubled soul.

"I spent over a year in Windside. Right now, Cosmos is after my hide on a silver platter, so I had to make myself scarce for a while. It was the perfect place." he said, "As for the black hair, there was a Cosmos militia that got lucky and showed up so I had to play dressed up. As for Hahnenfuss...right now she's in space. Athrun made her the new captain of the newly constructed ship, the Coursica."

"More power to her." Dearka said, "How are you doing?"

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, come on." Dearka made a face, "You mean you two lived together all that time and you never DID anything?"

Yzak snorted in his coffee, "Elthman-"

"How did I know you two lived together?" Dearka sneered, "I know you, man."

Yzak was silent a moment, and then set his cup down, not looking at either of them. He seemed to suddenly find the coffee cup more interesting to look at the anything else.

"We're engaged."

A smile snaked across Dearka's face, "Well...damn."

"Yeah." Yzak said, "With that aside, I hope you know how much trouble you've made for me? Now that you came and dropped on my doorstep there's a high chance that Blue Cosmos may come knocking on my door now."

"Sorry, man, there weren't many available options at the time." Dearka shrugged, "There were other lives at stake, and Orb was too far away for the fuel level on the GINN."

"Figures." Yzak yawned, "Well, Zala is going to be here in an hour so I suggest you take care of that GINN you dumped in my docking bay and clean yourselves up. I'll have quarters for you and Dearka, I want you in uniform. Miss Haww, I want a word with you. "

"Yes, sir." Dearka chuckled as he headed out.

It was a rather hasity dismissile, even for Yzak. Dearka wondered if he had struck a cord with him when he asked about Shiho. Miriallia looked nervously at Yzak as the doors shut, leaving her alone with the ZAFT captain.

* * *

Yzak folded his arms and leaned back in his desk chair, "Now, Miss Haww, you have a few options here-" 

"Please let me work here."

Yzak frowned, rubbing his forehead. He had a bad headache coming on.

"You're a former OMNI soldier, Miss Haww. Not to mention formally employed on the Archangel. You're not even a Coordiantor."

"I do good work, sir." she said.

Yzak stared at her, thinking it over through his head. Sighing, he nodded his head,

"I'll have you assigned to help out in intellegence. I have a few special projects for them to run for me." he said, "You do realize though, that if you work for me you'll have to follow my orders."

"Of course."

"And you'll be departing with the Voltaire when it launches in a few days."

She bit her lip, "Yes."

Yzak stared at her a moment and then nodded, "Alright then. Welcome aboard, Miss Haww. I could always use another hand to mandate Elthman."

She laughed, shaking his hand, "I know what you mean."

He nodded, "Alright, that's all, you're dismissed."

As she was about to walk out of the room, she stopped, "You look worried."

He glanced at her, "I am."

"Don't be." she smiled, "I've learned over the past few years that there isn't much we can do about things in life. They happen as they happen and all we can do is live." she shook her head, "Forgive me for prying. Thank you ."

She left his office. Yzak stared at the door for minutes after it closed and then let out a long sigh.

* * *

_I've had a lot of fun writing this story. Does anyone think it's really sad that I actually like to read my own stories?_

_ Send and reivew and tell me what you thinkg :D_

_Arigato_

_Lilith  
_


	14. Chapter 14

_I'm so tired of proofreading stuff. If there is anyone that would like to volunteer their time to proofread my chapters for Owari, it would be GREATLY appreciated. With the three research projects, massive GIS labs, and other things I'm quickly running out of available time. So if you're interested, message me. Don't put it on the review board._

_Here's the next chapter. Enjoy :D_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Seed Destiny_

* * *

Shiho sat neatly in her chair, reading over the report. Raising the tea in her hand, she took another sip. She was trying to get off her coffee addiction. 

Everything was quiet. Too quiet for her taste, but quiet anyway. It had gotten to the point were Maria was reading a manga at her station, glancing every few minutes to check readings, and there was a loud resounding snore from Lothaire. This prompted Maria to pick up a clipboard and chuck it in his general direction. There was a yelp, a loud '_merde_!' that echoed from the back of the bridge, and then a soft rustle of chuckling.

It was times like these that Shiho would take note to at least glance, but there was really nothing that she felt inclinde to punish. They were on their scouting mission, and frankily, they were tired as hell.

Setting the report in her lap, she stretched her arms in mid-air.

"Captain, if I must make a suggestion?" Hehn looked at her, "Commander Fredricksen is coming on for the next shift, it may do well for a little rest?"

She yawned, "You're right." she stood, making her way towards the elevator. The lack of gravity made it easy to float, and she landed gracefully in front of the door, disappearing as it closed behind her.

* * *

The elevator moved a few levels, and stopped once. Commander Fredricksen got on with her. 

"You're up late, Captain." he smiled, "Pray, you shouldn't make a habit of overworking yourself."

"I try." Shiho sighed, rubbing her eyes, "I need to be more alert. A little sleep will be nice."

He nodded in a knowing manner.

"How are you, Commander?" she asked out of the blue. The question startled him slightly. After thinking a minute, he replied,

"I am well."

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yes."

"Good." she smiled as the door opened, patting him on the shoulder, "You're my most valuable officer here. Can't have you exhausted either."

"Yes, ma'am." he smiled back as the doors began to close in front of her, "Take care, Captain."

She smiled at him, "Thanks."

He stared at the grey doors a moment, and then contemplated shooting himself with his pistol. Maybe the pain would distract himself from the tight feeling in his chest.

* * *

Maria sat at the table, sipping her cup of coffee. Amon had fallen asleep on the tabletop, his hand still gripping the coffee he had been drinking. She had a little sympathy for him. Right before the launch, he had pulled three all-nighters to finish all the construction himself. Amon had always been adament about things being done right, and for that to happen, he would have to do things himself. 

She raised a hand and rubbed his shoulder.

"Why don't you go sleep in your room?" she asked.

"Too lazy."

Maria made a face, "Listen, Lothaire, you can't keep overworking yourself like this. You'll keel over."

"_C'est vrai._"

_That's true_. Maria nodded in agreement. After the couple of years of working with Amon, she could still not speak a speck of Cajun french, but she had gotten pretty good as recognizing a word or two. She stared at him a moment, and then leaned over, setting her head on f the table next to his.

"Amon, what's wrong?"

He made a face, and laid a hand on top of her head.

"Why do you always stick around me, _ma' tite fille_?"

Maria blushed slightly, "I thought I told you to stop calling me that. " she then sat up, "I care about all my friends."

"Just friends?" he asked her.

She thought the whole thing was like she was reading a romance novel. Maria had first met Amon when she first entered the academy. They had always been close friends, always partners is labs, training sessions...they occasionally joked that if they were still around each other ten years from now they should just give up and get married.

That was, until, they had a momentary lapse in judgement and slept together.

It was only once, but once was enough to make her realize that she cared more about him then just a friend. But she could not bring herself to admit that she actually loved him. So she ran, and to her dismay, he had tracked her down to Carpentaria. Maria still did not understand how she was on that base for three months and he was able to keep himself hidden in the crowds from her.

"Me-" he shrugged, "-I think you're afraid to let yourself have anything."

"I'm not afraid of anything."

"Sure you are." he touched her cheek. No one was in the mess hall but them, "You're afraid of yourself."

Maria frowned, "Amon, we've known each other for a long time, but we work on the same ship, we work for the same captain. It would be inappropriate. Plus, I don't think it would be a good idea for us to involved. We're too much alike."

He sat up straight, his dark eyes stared at her.

"Maria-"

She stood up from the table, "Don't start, Amon." Turning around, she saluted, "Have a good evening, Leutinant. See you tommorrow."

With that, she turned around and left. Heaving a sigh, he wracked a hand through his hair. Amon took another drink of coffee, and started to wonder if a more direct approch would be more effective.

* * *

Michael sat at the console, his fingers flying over the keys. Meyrin sat at the table, looking through the print-outs they had made. They were busy hacking into the Blue Cosmos computer. It was something that did not seem to bother him at all, Meyrin had noticed, and she started to wonder why he even started working for Djibril in the first place. 

"Michael?"

"Hmm?" he murmured, his concentration buried deep in the task at hand.

"Why did you work as Djibril's aid?"

He was silent a moment, "A promise I made to myself and my family. It was a long story, I don't really want to talk about it."

"Will you tell me someday?" she looked at him.

Glancing at her from the corner of his eye, he smiled, "Sure. Someday."

Looking at her watch, she gasped, "It's 4 am!"

Michael yawned, "Yeah, I know. Wanna get something to eat?" he asked, beginning to log out of his work.

"Please. I'm starving."

They strolled down the hallway, heading towards the mess hall. It was open 24 hours a day, and there were always at least a handfull of people sitting at the tables. From what Michael understood, there were about 4 or 5 cooks that divided shifts among themselves. That way if he suddenly wanted a sandwitch at 5 or 6 am, he could get it.

Looking over at the petite girl next to him, she looked pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. She yawned widely, and Michael felt himself smile,

"Say, Meyrin, why don't you have a seat and I'll grab us something to eat?"

She looked up at him and nodded sleepily. He had heard from Ezaria and the others that she worked harder then many of the veterans, but despite the fact that she did not have as much experienced, she was more capable then many of the other workers.

Meyrin took a seat at one of the tables while he fetched something to eat. Comming back, he handed her a can of tea, which she opened. A big smile spread across her face as she took a big drink.

"The only thing I never liked about working in that control room is they don't let you drink anything." she said, "I can eat a bowl of chicken soup next to a computer without getting anything on it, I think I should be able to drink a can of tea."

Michael laughed, shaking his head. He had laughed more since he came there then he had in years. It seemed to make her happy when he did so, and it made him want to laugh more. Or, rather, get her to laugh with him.

"I'll admit." he said, "I've never really met anyone like you before, Meyrin."

She blushed, looking sheepishly at him a moment, not really knowing what to say.

"These days-" he said, taking a fork and trying a bit of his dinner, "-it's hard to find someone that will even smile. I'm not afraid to admit that most of the time I'd rather just shut myself away and not have to worry about anything."

Meyrin stared at him a minute, "Michael, can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"Ezaria-sama...she really doesn't trust people easily, nor does she accept people as easily as she accepted you. She seems to know you already." she spoke, "Did you know her before you came here?"

There was a stern, dark look in his eyes a moment.

"I never met her when I was old enough to remember. I met her a few times when I was younger. She was a friend of my family." he said, "Before my mother left for the military, and my father went into government, Ezaria-san and my mother used to get together at my family's mansion and have tea. Things like that."

Meyrin frowned, "Who was your family?"

"I don't really like talking about it." he said flat out, "Maybe some other time."

She gave him a worried look, and then accepted that answer. Meyrin was not one to pry into someone's past demons. If he wanted to tell her, he would tell her eventually.

They sat and ate, and talked for a little while longer. Technically, their shift was over, but there were few people on the base that had the same skills and knowledge about PLANT supercomputers as they did. All the raw date had to be collected and analyzed themselves. Michael was still running over the specs in his head when he returned to the table after getting rid of their trays, to find that Meyrin had fallen asleep on the tabletop, her head in her arms.

Staring at her a moment, he felt a smile creep across his face again. Gently laying a hand on her shoulder, he shook her,

"Meyrin, wake up. Maybe we should call it a night."

She kept sleeping. Michael made a face, folding his arms. He could not let her sleep here. After kicking himself to do something about it, he eased her chair away from the table, and scooped her up in his arms. Her head rest snuggly against his shoulder as he left the mess hall. Most people were working or asleep, so he was not worried about someone spotting him. Poking an override code into the padlock on her door, he opened the door with his foot, and closed it behind him.

She groaned as he set her on the edge of the bed, propping a foot in his lap to slip off her shoes. Rubbing her head, her eyes flitted open slightly.

"Michael?"

"If you were tired, you should have just said so."

"I'm tired."

He chuckled, tossing her shoes aside and pulling the covers back as he tucked her in. Staring at him a moment before her eyes sunk closed again, he found his hand raising to brush a strand of hair from her face. She was really pretty.

Walking out of the dark room, he closed the door behind him as he left. Standing in the hallway a moment, he put his hands in his pockets, and frowned.

_What the hell was he doing?_

* * *

It would be better not to get attached to anyone. He was not going to be a rebel base his permanent occupation. As soon as things were solved and settled, he planned on getting on the first shuttle to earth and forgetting that he ever lived on PLANT or was in ZAFT. It was not that he did not care about his own people, he just had too many bad memories. Memories that were weighing him down and preventing him from having his own life. 

"Michael?"

He turned as Ezaria Jule was heading out of her room, a stack a folders in her arms.

"Ezaria-san."

She smiled, "You should get some sleep. No use trying to do things when you're not coherent enough."

He nodded, "You're right."

"Meyrin is a nice girl, isn't she?" she asked him.

"Yeah."

"You two get along well."

Michael gave her a look, and she laughed, "Okay, I'll stay out of it."

* * *

Dearka walked briskly down the hallway. He had taken over a chuck of Yzak's duties. Although he was only a major at rank, he had such a vast amoung of skill and experience that ZAFT generally let him get away with assuming a little more authority then a typical major-ranked officer would get. 

As he headed towards the control tower, the door opened to the war room, and Yzak emerged with Miriallia.

Dearka almost dropped all the files in his hands.

She was wearing a ZAFT uniform, and there was a communication headset on her left ear. Yzak handed her a few things, she nodded, and hurried off to carry out his orders. Catching Dearka's confused look, Yzak smirked at him.

"Stop gapping, Dearka."

He glared at the captain, "You really like making fun of me, don't you?"

"I'm your best friend, it's my job."

"Oh really?" Dearka said, "Why don't you tell me about what happened to you and Hahnenfuss after a I left, hm?"

Yzak frowned, "I don't really want to talk about it."

"Oh, come on." Dearka said, "I've never seen you this moody and moopy. Suck it up. There are other people that have had this problem in the military. Speaking of which, I have to start thinking of what to do for a bachelor party."

"Huh?"

Dearka chuckled, "Athrun would probably have a few ideas."

"Dearka!" Yzak snapped, ignoring the his friend's laugh.

There was a beep on the wall com, and Yzak pushed the button.

"Jule here."

"Lord Zala has just arrive, sir."

* * *

Athrun lowered himself to the airfeild, tucking the helmet under his arm. Yzak went to greet him, and following him was none other then Dearka Elthman. Ignoring the proper formalities, and the fact that Athrun was now a leader of Orb, he promptly shook a hand with Athrun, and clamped a his other hand on his shoulder. 

"You look good." Dearka said, "How is the political life going for you?"

"Sometimes I'd rather fight a whole squadron of Blue Cosmos Zaku's alone then go to those damn meetings."

"Spoken like a true soldier." Yzak said, "Come on, you two, we're blocking traffic here. Let's go to my office and chat."

* * *

Michael sat at the computer in the control room. Yawning, he began to log out of the system when he stopped. 

_What the hell-_

There was a mid-space transmission coming from the northernly direction heading towards PLANT. He fingers prodded away at the keyboard, trying to discover the contents of the message. Staring at the data that began to come up on the screen, he gasped as sat up.

The Coursica.

"Damn it-" he cursed as he rushed to open a communication line. He had to warn them, but all the lines were blocked. _What else could he do?_ An idea began to surface in his head, it was the last option he had left and the system was much easier to hack then most others.

* * *

Yzak sat at the conference table, Athrun and Dearka sitting across from him. 

"So, what's the stitch?" Athrun asked, taking a sip of coffee.

"Blue Cosmos is beginning to move again." Dearka said, "At the rate they are going, it's a definate threat to this general territory. I don't know what the deal is, but it's starting to look like they're leaning towards an all-or-nothing route."

"Great." Athrun frowned.

"I'll have them speed up preparation on the Voltaire." Yzak said, pausing a moment as his cell rang, "Carpentaria is pretty much back on track. I'm not worried about it." he made a face at the number on the phone and flipped it open, "Jule here."

"Captain Jule." the voice replied on the other end, "I know you don't know who I am, but it was imperative that I got ahold of you."

Athrun and Dearka watched as Yzak leaned foreward on the table.

"Who is this?"

"I'm an informent from PLANT, that's all I can say." he said, "I have some information for you."

"What kind of information?" Yzak held up a hand as Dearka started to ask him who it was on the line.

"I have reason to believe that Blue Cosmos and Djibril are after a certain ZAFT ship that was a launched a few days ago. They mean to take the captain and the main crew hostage and destroy the ship. If you leave now, you can still prevent it from happening."

Yzak's heart skipped a beat, the color draining from his face.

"What ship are you talking about?"

"The Coursica." the voice said, "Djibril is after Shiho Hahnenfuss."

* * *

_Maria and Amon or modeled after two of my favorite mystery-romance characters. If you want to check out the novel, it's called A Thin Dark Line by Tami Hoag. It's one of my favorite books EVER. Mmm...cajun french detective..._

_Anyway, send a review and tell me what you think :D_

_Arigato_

_Lilith_


	15. Chapter 15

_Don't tell me if you find grammer errors. This chapter was such a pain to proofread I don't want to know if I missed anything._

_Happy Haloween Everyone! I'm wearing my kimono to work. :D_

_Thanks for waiting for the next chapter!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Seed Destiny_

* * *

Djibril sat in the desk, smiling to himself. Sue stood across the room, glaring at him with as controled of an expression that she could muster. 

"Send a note to the captian of the squad that is tracking Captain Hahnenfuss' ship."

"Yes, sir, right away. What should I tell them?" Sue asked.

He sneered. It was the first step in a major attack against the rebels. This surprise would give him an edge over the Zalas in Orb. In all the other battles, Orb had been able to defeat him because of the nation's ability to cooperate well with other countries.

But that was about to change.

"Commence the attack."

* * *

Yzak trudged down the hallway, not caring that Dearka and Athrun were both trying to restrain him. 

"Yzak!" Athrun called, "You can't just load up and launch! There are things that still need to be done. Hahnenfuss is perfectly able to handle a few ships."

Dearka frowned, "At least calm down long enough too-"

"Calm down!" he roared, turning around, "Calm down? My fiance is up there about to get murdered by a madman! Don't you dare tell me to calm down! I want the crew on the Voltaire in half an hour. The squads are already loaded. Ten minutes from prep."

Athrun glared at him, "Captain Jule-"

"NOW!"

Yzak yanked the door open to his office, taking out a briefcase he stuffed his papers in it, and then slammed it shut. Gathering up his coak, he slammed the door behind him and he left his office without a second look. Dearka and Athrun exchanged looks as Yzak stormed down the hallway.

"As much I as hate it when he gets this way-" Athrun sighed, "-there's not much you or I can do about it. Go with him, Dearka. I can't fight with you guys anymore."

Dearka nodded, "I'll go."

Athrun took a piece of paper from his pocket, "This is a secret encoded line. I want report twice a week, and when anything important happens. There's not many people I know that can keep a watch on Yzak, Dearka, so do what you can."

Dearka nodded, "Truthfully, though, I understand his feelings."

Athrun frowned, looking grimly in the direction that Yzak had disappeared in, "So do I."

* * *

Yzak walked down the hallway of the Voltaire, shouting orders as he went. Leutinant Blaze was having a hard time keeping up with the silver-haired captain. Before Yzak came to Carpentaria a few days ago, Leutinant Blaze had been the officer in command. 

"I want you to follow all the instructions I left behind to a tee." Yzak said, the doors opened to his office on the Voltaire, and he promptly set his case on the desktop and dumped his jacket in his chair, "I don't want to come back and find this place has go to hell again, understood?"

"Yes, sir."

Yzak turned to him and stuck out his hand, "You do good work, Blaze."

"Thank you, sir." he smiled, shaking his hand.

"I put in a promotion for you. In a week you'll be a commander."

Blaze grinned, "Sir-"

Yzak gave him a small smile, "It's the least that we could do. You kept that hole from going completely bananas. Watch the place for me."

"Good luck, Captain Jule."

Yzak watched him leave and stared at the door as it closed. Carpentaria was well off enough that Yzak did not have to worry about that can of worms. He straightened his uniform and headed to the bridge. Dearka would be down in the mobile suit bay prepping the squads for sortie. Although he was not a red, he was the lead pilot in the group.

As the door opened to the bridgeroom, Commander Bjorkland smiled, standing up from the captain's chair. Yzak shook hands with his first-officer.

"It's good to have you back, sir."

"It's good to be back." Yzak said, then he smirked, "I have a stack of reports on my desk, Bjorkland. How many people did you write up?"

Bjorkland coughed and then whispered, "It's a long story, sir. I'll tell you off duty."

Yzak nodded in understanding, and swept a glare across the bridgeroom. Half of the main crew was in that stack of write-ups. There were a few guilty looks that were returned towards him. Letting out a sigh he sat back in his chair,

"We're leaving." he said, "Prepare for atmospheric launch..."

* * *

Shiho sat in her office, scrubbing her hands over her face to try and ignore the paperwork she had to fill out. It was like she was on duty 24-7 with the paperwork that she did off duty, and the regular duties she did when she was on shift. Deciding that she needed a break, she left her room in search of a cup of tea. 

Coffee was starting to get old, and lately she had found that she liked Earl Grey tea a lot.

She knew that Yzak drank it sometimes because it was strong, but she had never really tried it until a few days ago. When she entered the mess hall, Lothaire was sitting at one of the tables reading the paper. It was late at night which meant he was on duty, but he always took a ten minute break in the middle of his shift to read the news.

Shiho retrieved a cup of tea and walked over to him.

"Is it alright if I sit here, Leutinant?"

"_Oui_."

She sat across from him and took a sip.

"Anything good?"

"The prime minister from Scandinavia broke his ankle falling out of a commercial airline terminal. The representative of Neo-Lunarius on the moon is still maintaining a neutral stance, they declined a tready with Orb again. Djibril is still hunting Ezaria Jule." he then snickered, "And rumor has it that Lord and Lady Zala are thinking about having children."

"Oy vey." Shiho sighed, sipping her tea, "No matter how chaotic the world gets, you still get that celebrity news that really doesn't matter a whole lot in the grand retrospective of things."

"You're engaged." Lothaire glanced at her, "When are you getting married, if it's okay for me ask?"

The sudden change in topic startled her a bit, but she did not show it. While eating lunch with Sargent Yukishiro the other day, Maria had warned her Lothaire had a bit of a strange personality. After a week of working on the Coursica, Shiho had stopped flinching when Lothaire did not call her by her title. He called people what he wanted.

Shiho shrugged, "When the war is over."

"The war will be going on for a while, _chere_."

"I know." she said, "We're young."

"I suppose." he said, folding the paper.

"What about you?" she asked, "Do you have anyone?"

He looked contemplative a moment as he glanced towards the window in the mess hall that overlooked space.

"..._pas du tout_..."

"Pardon?"

"Not really." he shrugged, "Only wishes."

"I see." she nodded grimly.

"May I ask, who is the man?"

"Hm?" she looked up, obviously a little lost in her thoughts.

"Who is your fiance?"

She made a face a moment, and then looked around, "I'll tell you if you promise not to tell anyone. Only a few people know, and I need to keep it that way to protect him."

That meant that he was probably a fugitive of Blue Cosmos, or an official. She leaned foreward,

"Yzak Jule."

"_Bon Dieu_!" he shot back in his seat.

"I said not so loud!" she said, waving her hands, "He's not exactly the most popular person right now. Well, he is, but more popular with the people that would like to obliterate him from existence. I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone. Sargent Yukishiro knows, but that's it."

"Cross my heart, _chere_." he smiled.

* * *

Maria stood in the hallway, leaning against the wall. 

..._pas du tout_...

_Not at all._

There was a strange feeling in her mind when he said that. Amon Lothaire, a man who was strong enough to go head-to-head with an ox, seemed to be just as fragile as she was at the moment. The fact that he had told Captain Hahnenfuss that he did not have anyone had hurt her more then she wanted to admit.

* * *

Shiho sat at the table in the mess hall, her ears perked slightly as her com link beeped. She picked up the line, 

"Hahnenfuss."

"Captain, Hehn here." he said, "Could please come to the bridge a moment? I need a word."

"A word?" she said, "Commander Fredricksen-"

"Quickly, ma'am. It's important."

She frowned, staring nervously at the wall across the room as she nodded to herself, "Sure, I'll be right there."

"What is it?" Amon asked as she hung up as stood.

It was the manner that Hehn had spoke to her that made her uneasy. Amon stood up, he was heading back to the bridge as well.

"I don't know." Shiho replied.

* * *

Maria was already on the bridge when she arrived. Amon headed towards his own seat as Shiho approched her CIC officer. 

"What's wrong?"

"I was tracking communication codes in sub-space." he said, "Generally, there are always a common amount of communication lines that I can detect in sub-space at anytime, and I can always track which lines are comming and going from this ship."

"Yes?"

"Captain-" he pointed at the screen, "-there is a code line comming from this ship. It's a foreign one. Not on a regular transmission, and it's coded. I'm still trying to decode it, but I know where it's going."

Shiho froze, feeling her blood run cold. _No_, she did not want to think of the possiblity that was grazing through her mind.

"Where?" she whispered, unaware that her voice had dropped low.

Hehn looked at her, careful not to speak too loud.

"To Aprillius One, ma'am."

A spy. There was a damn spy on _her_ ship.

Shiho marched to her chair, taking a seat, "Call all hands to their stations." she said.

"Captain?" Yukishiro looked at her, confused.

"We're in danger." she said, "Call all hands. Sargent, I want you to scan this area. If there is a ship, they may be hiding in the interfearence in the debris around earth and in the asteroid feilds near PLANT, please scan that area as well. Leutinant Lothaire, I want a weapons check."

The door opened, and Fredricksen walked in, standing next to Shiho's chair.

"What's the problem?" he asked.

"We have a spy on board."

He gasped, "Good god..." he said, "Are we too late?"

"Hopefully not." she said, "Leutinant Hehn?"

"The transmission has been transmitted sporatically over a span of a few weeks, but always on the same line. It's only been this week that it's been transmitted from the Coursica. For all we know, a whole fleet could have been tracking us and we would never have known it."

"Damn." Shiho cursed, looking towards the viewscreen. It was a tactical error on her part. One that was severe, but was not entirely her fault. The crew on the Coursica had been handpicked by ZAFT and Orb. They were all specialists in their feild, and many of them were at the same level of a red elite. There had never been a reason to doubt their honesty.

Until now.

Her eyes swept the room. _Who was it? _It could be anyone.

"Fuck." a voice said, it was Sargent Yukishiro's. Shiho did not even care at the moment that she almost always gave her officers a hard time for crude swearing on her bridge, "I'm detecting a Nazsca-Class warship, easterly bearing, about ten minutes."

"We're being hailed, ma'am." Hehn spoke.

There was a wave of silence. Shiho did not trust herself to speak a moment, but she did anyway.

"On screen, Mr. Hehn."

It blinked on.

A middle-aged man stared back at her. He fit the typical Blue Cosmos captain profile. Middle-aged, white, dark hair, and an aura that gave her the chills even though it was through a vid-screen.

"I am Captain Shiho Hahnenfuss of the Coursica." she said, "Excuse me, sir, but I must inform you that you have passed the territory boundary of Blue Cosmos as ZAFT. I'm afraid I must tell you to leave."

He chuckled,

"You're have spark, Captain, I'll give you that." he said, "I'm Captain Grein. I'm under direct order from Djibril-sama to give you a couple of options."

Shiho frowned, "I would ask, but I have a feeling you'd tell me anyway."

"You can surrender your ship or be destroyed." he said, "You and your crew will be transported to Aprillius One as prisonars of war. Djibril-sama himself has expressed an interest in meeting you face-to-face as he believes that you have valuable information on the known fugitive Yzak Jule."

She stared at him a moment. Whatever she said next held the value of her life and the lives of everyone on her ship. Her respone would determine the course of the war, and it would affect all of her officer's loved ones, as well as the whole of Orb and it's allies.

"Kiss my ass." she said.

Grein frowned, "Don't be hasty, Captain, you speak for your crew as well."

She looked at her bridgecrew, they all returned the same solemn, determined look that she had.

"You're going to have to blow up my ship and kill us then. I'm not turning a single person or a part of my ship to be hacked up by your butcher scientists." she said, "If get sent to hell for that, I guess you can tell Djibril that I'll see him there."

* * *

The control room was bustling now. Ever since Michael had hacked the system and discovered the transmission from the hidden fleet from Blue Cosmos, the entire base was wide awake. They were sending messages in every which direction to their own allies to aid the Coursica but no matter what they did, it would be too late. If he had known before hand he would have said so, but because the order was placed after he was captured by Ezaria Jule, he did not know anything about it. 

Ezaria uttered a vicious curse, "I want every damn ship we can afford to send sent!" she roared, "We should be able to protect our own ships! Send the Eternal if you have too!"

"Ma'am!" Meyrin chimed in, "I have already sent a message to Captain DaCosta, he relayed it back saying that they will do what they can, but if they go they will blow their cover."

"I'm aware of that!" Ezaria shouted, "The Coursica is the first ship launched that shows an allience between ZAFT and everyone else not connected with Blue Cosmos. If it is destroyed, the war will break out in every sector. Tell Martin to move the ship!"

"Right away!"

Michael stood next to Ezaria, she was staring at the digital viewscreen in front of her that mapped the locations of all the ships in that sector. The Coursica was under attack. There was not much they could do now, and Ezaria Jule knew it. They had been too late.

"Ezaria-san, there's something you should know." he said.

"What?"

They were both talking just above a whisper, loud enough so they could hear each other over the rustling of papers and shouting around them, but quiet enough so no one else could hear.

"Yzak Jule's fiance-" he said, "-is that captain of the Coursica."

She froze a moment, and when he glanced back at her, there was a look of horror on her face.

* * *

_Damn it. Damn it._

Yzak was practically sitting on the edge of his seat as they were approching the middle of the earth's atmopshere. Sargent John Drake, his CIC, was shouting off the ETA to the departure from earth's atmosphere. There was dead silence on the brigde, except from Drake's occasional announcement, and there was a rustle as the elevator door opened and Dearka stepped onto the bridge.

"ETA 20 minutes to departure." Drake announced over the bridgeroom.

* * *

Shiho clung to the edge of the armrest as the ship shook violently. Fredricksen had retreated to his station in the corner. 

"Damage report!" she roared.

"Three of our engines are destroyed." her first officer shouted, "Most of our mobile suits are damaged beyond repair."

"Launch our remaining squads."

"Sir-" Maria chimed in, "-the last hit damaged the main computer. We've lost commication and major life support. I've switched the systems, but we have 5 hours at the max."

"Leutinant Lothaire is reporting in from the field." Hehn called out, "He says that they don't have any options left."

There was another explosion.

"We've lost Deck 20!" Fredricksen told her, "I've closed all emergancy doors..."

Shiho sat in her seat, watching the battle in front of her. They were running out of weapons. Their mobile suit squadrons were almost completely destroyed, and at that rate, they were going to loose the ship. Over her head there was a loud noise, and a sudden force shook her as she was thrown from her seat.

Opening her dizzy eyes, Commander Fredricksen was shouting at her. Reaching up a hand, she touched her forehead, it was seering with pain. Looking at her fingers, she saw they were covered with blood.

The ship shook once more, and to her shock, her first-officer threw himself over her as more debris from the ceiling crashed down around them.

She looked up at him as he pulled himself up.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

She gritted her teeth and nodded as he helped her up. There was nothing left for them to do. Turning to the crew, everyone on the bridge was staring back at her with a grim look in their eyes.

"Call Leutinant Lothaire back." she said, "Leutinant Hehn, order the mobile suits to prepare to retreat to a safe distance."

"Aye, ma'am."

She limped to the com panal on her seat, and pressed the button for a ship wide transmission.

"This is Captain Hahnenfuss. All hands, abandon ship."

* * *

When she looked again at her bridge, she turned to Fredricksen, 

"I'll give you a list of coordinates. I want you to take the lead shuttle-"

"I'm staying." he said.

Shiho stared at him, and then smiled sadly, laying a hand on his arm. Instead she turned to Leutinant Hehn,

"Once Lothaire returns, take Sargent Yukishiro with you and assist in the evacuation. Commander Fredricksen and I will follow once everyone is off the ship." she said, "I'll have a set of coordinates sent to you, program into the systems and have all the shuttles meet at that point."

"Yes, ma'am." he said, standing up from his post. He reached out a dark hand, and she shook it. He turned, floating across the room as he helped the rest of the bridgecrew into the elevator. Maria moved in before Saahl, giving her superiors a sad look as she stepped in.

"May the good spirits keep you safe, sirs." Hehn spoke as the door closed.

Shiho stood on the bridge of her own ship staring at the veiwscreen. They had 30 minutes until the self-destruct activated. She would rather give herself up then let Blue Cosmos have her ship. Remi stared at her from his station, watching as the shuttles with the Coursica's crew launched. There were casualties, but no one was dead.

It sitll did not work to lessen the guilt on his conscience.

"The crew has departed safely. Leutinant Lothaire informed us that he docked with Shuttle 01 and that our remaining mobile suit squads have retreated to a safe distance." he said, "The enemy ship has also sent another message asking for our surrendor."

"Have they spotted the retreating shuttles?"

"No, ma'am, they're safe."

She did not say anything. Taking off his headset, he stood up and walked over to her.

"This was my first command." she said, "I was a major by rank before now. I had commanded whole squadrons, but never a whole ship before." she chuckled to herself, "First command I get I have to blow up my own ship. Only after a week too."

He stared at her, opening his mouth to say something. A missile hit the ship again, and he caught her as the ceiling began to cave in. Half of the bridge was already in flames.

"The engines will explode if we don't get out of here!" he yelled, grabbing her hand, "Come on!"

* * *

Remi dragged her into the elevator, the doors shut as the whole ceiling collapsed. There was one shuttle left, one that they would both be able to get on. As the door opened for the appropriate deck, he had already made the decision of doing was he was going to do. There was nothing that would stop him. 

He pulled her out of the elevator. The head wound she had was making her dizzy and her response time was shortening. There were other injuries that they had from remaining on the bridge, but she was the worse off. Remi pressed in the code for the shuttle door and it opened. Before getting on the shuttle, she smiled at him,

"Thank you." she said, "For helping me."

"What?" he gapped at her.

"You did have a duty to help me, but in the past week you've gone above your duties to help me, to chat with me, to do things for me...thank you, Remi."

He stared at her. As her eyes strayed to the side, she glanced out one of the circular windows. Emerging from the west out of the earth's atmopshere was an all-too-familiar ship. A ship white as a ghost captained by a man she knew and missed all too well.

_Yzak._ Yzak had come here to save her.

She grinned.

"Look! The Voltaire-"

She yelped as Remi grabbed her arm, he drew her into his chest.

"It was me."

"What-"

"It was me." he said, "I was the one that sent the messages."

She gasped, feeling her blood freeze.

"Djibril has me little sister Sue. He told me that if I didn't do what he said, he would have her killed." he said, "That's why I sent them information. Susiette is all I have left. I couldn't let her die. But that is no excuse for what I have done."

"You-"

In the traditional french custom, he kissed both of her cheeks.

"Shiho, I'm sorry." he whispered into her ear.

He looked up and gasped as the Blue Cosmos ship opened its gunports and fired a final barrage. Shiho found them both thrown into the air as they were surrounded with smoke and flames.

* * *

Yzak watched the Coursica explode. It was enveloped in a plume of fire, and left in its spot was floating debris. 

"Oh my god." Dearka whispered.

Yzak turned to the helmsman, "The Coursica?"

There was silence.

"Mr. Drake-" Yzak looked at him, "-what do you have the radar?"

"It's gone, sir."

His heart sunk.

Yzak gritted his teeth, "What do you mean it's gone? There has to be something! You're going to sit there and-"

Dearka grabbed his wrist and began pulling him backwards.

"Major Elthman!" Yzak roared, "What the hell are you doing?! Let me go!"

The bridge was quiet as a graveyard as Dearka dragged their captain off the bridge, leaving the first officer in command.

* * *

The door to the elevator closed as Dearka dragged Yzak into the hallway outside the bridgeroom. 

"Dearka!" Yzak yelled, he tore his wrist from Dearka's grip, "What the fuck are you doing!?"

"Trying to spare you more humiliation." he replied, "Yzak...Shiho is dead."

Yzak froze.

Dearka watched as Yzak shook his head. Laying a hand on his captain's shoulder, he said, "I didn't think you wanted everyone to see those tears on your face."

Yzak touched his cheeks. Silent tears were pouring down his cheeks. He had not even realized it.

_Oh god, I was too late._

"Shiho is..."

Dearka said nothing, watching as Yzak took a step back.

_Oh my god._

Yzak pressed a hand over his face, biting the edge of his lips to keep from screaming out. He bit so hard that blood trailed down the side of his lips.

_Don't worry, Yzak. When all this is over, we'll have each other, you're never going to be alone again. I'll wake up every morning and make us blueberry pancakes and well go out together like normal people...I love you, Yzak. I love you more then anything..._

Fuck.

_Yes...yes, Yzak, I'll marry you..._

Yzak turned, and with a loud roar he slammed his forehead into the wall, knowing very well that he had just given himself a concussion. Sliding to the floor, he ignored Dearka's calls and the bloody streak on the wall from his head.

He sunk to the floor as he pressed his head into the wall, and cried.

* * *

_Hopefully this chapter won't cause me to loose all of my readers. All I have to say, I guess, is that it's not over till it over. _

_And I guess the other thing I have to say is please don't hate me._

_Send me a reivew and tell me what you think._

_Arigato _

_Lilith_


	16. Chapter 16

_I really needed to post this, so I may revise it again later. Sorry for the long wait, I had a little trauma with my internet. It seems that my anti-virus program decided to go hay-wire and block all my internet connections. I found out that it was, indeed, possible to go 5 days without any internet. Yes, it's possible._

_I'm not really in the mood to doctor this chapter any more then I've already attempted to revise it. If there is anyone out there who would be willing to volunteer to beta my Owari chapters, it would be very appreciated. If it's any incentive, you'll get to read the chapter before it comes out. If you're interested, send me a personal message._

_I used a few french phrases in this chapter. Translations are listed at the bottom of the chapter. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Seed Destiny  
_

* * *

Athrun stared at the screen, his face was impassive as Dearka told him what had happened. Cagali was standing in the corner of the study now, looking out of the window. There were silent tears running down her face, but she refused to make a sound. 

"How's Yzak?"

"He shut himself in his office. He does work, comes out for his duty shifts, and that's about it." Dearka sighed, "He won't even talk to me, and he refused to talk to you."

"I figured." Athrun said, "Survey the area, see what you can find. I have a feeling that there was more to this then just a simple battle."

"I hear ya there." Dearka nodded, "I have a nasty feeling about this whole deal. If someone were to ask what it was, I wouldn't be able to tell them anything on the record."

"How about off the record?"

"I think they had a rat onboard."

Athrun made a face, "Perfect."

"I'm sorry, man, but that's my best educated guess."

Dearka's educated guesses were usually right, which was what disturbed Athrun. Giving Dearka a quick set of additional orders, he shut off the monitor and turned to look at Cagali. She had her arms folded, still staring out of the window as if something was so interesting that it required her whole attention.

"Cagali-"

"I was the one that suggested it, Athrun." she said, "Hahnenfuss had such a good record, and she was highly apt with mobile suits and command. I just figured that if we needed a captain, she was the logical choice."

Athrun stood up, walking over to her, "Neither of us saw this coming. It's not your fault."

"But-"

He wrapped his arms around her, letting her burying her face in his shoulder, "It hit everyone hard. The Coursica was our best chance to show that we're not afraid to reach out, and Hahnenfuss was just as willing as we were to take the mission on. We all knew the risks."

"But that doesn't bring her back to life."

Athrun sighed, kissing the top of her head, "No." he closed his eyes, "It doesn't."

There was a knock on the door, and Kisaka opened it. Athrun looked over Cagali's head at the man.

"There's a problem." Kisaka said.

"What?"Cagali pulled out of Athrun's arms.

"It's Blue Cosmos." Kisaka frowned, "They want to negotiate the details of our surrendor."

* * *

Amon sat at the console, he had not moved in hours. Still wearing his flightsuit, Maria walked over to his side, finding that he was still staring out of the window into space. 

After fighting in such a difficult battle, he had then came back in time to evacuate and watch the ship blow up. He had done pretty well, considering by rank he was the next highest ranking officer in the group, even though Amon was never one for command. He was more of the type to fight in the battle instead of command it.

Now he had completely shut down.

They were waiting for someone to respond to the signal. Saahl had left to one of the other shuttles to try and repair some communication systems that were damaged, leaving Maria alone with Amon on the command shuttle.

She knelt next to his chair.

"Amon?" she looked at him, "When was the last time you slept?"

He sighed, "I think I'm so tired I'm beyond sleeping at this point, _chere_."

Maria watched him sadly as he turned back to the viewscreen. She sighed, reaching over him to turn on the autopilot. Opening a link to Shuttle 02, Saahl's voice came on the line.

"Hehn here."

"Leutinant Hehn, Lothaire isn't doing too well. I'm going to take over things here for a while."

Amon shot her a look, "Hey-"

"Sure thing." Saahl replied, "Get some rest too, if you can. There isn't much we can do and both of you have been working the hardest. I can take care of things for a while."

"You sure?" she asked.

"Positive. Get some sleep."

The link clicked off, and Amon found himself pulled out of his chair.

"Maria-"

"Hush."

She lead him down the hallway to her quarters, the door shut behind her. Reaching up, she began to pull the flightsuit off him. He caught her hands, staring down at her he shook his head.

"I don't think it's a good idea that I stay here-"

"Amon." she said, raising a hand to took his cheek, "It's okay. You don't have to shoulder this all by yourself."

His dark eyes seemed to burn into her head. Before she could react, he yanked her into his chest by her wrists, and kissed her. She did not try to fight him, she had gone to long without telling him what she really wanted. Part of her was surprised that Amon had even bothered with her this long. It felt wonderful to be in his arms again, so she made the choice not to fight him as he kissed her, or when he back pulling her clothes from her one at a time and tossing them aside.

After all this time, he still loved her.

At one point, as he wrapped his arms around her, her back pressing into the sheets as he moved over her. She laid her hands on his face and turned so she could speak into his ear.

"I love you."

His eyes closed, resting his forehead into her neck.

"_Je t'aime, ma douce amie_." he murmured. This time when he said it, she felt a smile creep across her face. Pulling him down next to her, she gently smoothed the hair out of his eyes.

"Rest." she said, "You need sleep."

He nodded absently, and promptly fell asleep in her arms. Most of the time Amon was the one to always comfort her when she was upset. He would always be the first one to offer sympathy, and take care of her when she was having trouble.

Maria pressed her face into his dark hair, listening to him sleep. It was her turn to comfort him this time, and even though they would have a lot to deal with later, Maria did not feel the least bit guilty.

They would deal with it together.

* * *

There was a beep on her com link, and picking up the phone from her uniform that was discarded on the floor, she flipped it open. 

"Yukishiro." she responded, her fingers still running through Amon's hair.

"Sargent." Saahl was on the other line, "You'd better get up. We got a transmission sent."

She sat up, "What? From who?"

There was a chuckle on the other line, "You'll never believe who it is."

Amon's eyes cracked open and he lay back on the pillows. Watching Maria's face change from curious to shocked, he frowned,

"What is it?" he asked.

Maria put her hand on the reciever, "We got an answer to the distress signal." she said, "It's the Eternal."

Martin DaCosta had a lot of good talents for someone his age. He was one of the youngest captain's to ever be promoted without having to reach Red Elite first, he was rather skilled at mobile suit piloting, at command, in engineering, and in marksmanship. Back on Earth when he still worked for Andrew Watfeild, Watfeild would occasionally challenge him at the shooting range. Of course, Watfeild always beat him, but it was not an easily win.

The other thing Martin was good at was following orders, and he was loyal to those he worked for. For Watfield, Lacus Clyne, and now Ezaria Jule, Martin was a very valuable ally to have. So when Lacus finally decided to make Martin the new captain of the Eternal, no one complained. He worked hard, and everyone felt he should have it. Although, that was the feeling Martin had at the time.

He had a new sympathy for Lacus Clyne now.

Being the captain of such a ship as the Eternal was demanding and required a lot more of him then to just command a battleship. Most often, they collected intelligence information, information that he sometimes had to go out himself and collect, and since he became captain he had to already attend 5 separate political council sessions. Martin was a soldier, not a politician. Even though he was commander of a politically significant ship, he was just not cut out for the whole '_sitting down and talking while sipping tea_' thing.

Ezaria had contacted him yesterday and told him to rescue the Coursica, which did not turn out as they had planned. Now the Eternal was out and about again, and they risked being noticed by Blue Cosmos.

He sent out a few squads to search for survivors, and they had picked up an encoded distress signal from the asteroid field. It was not long till they started taking on the crew of the Coursica. Heading down to the the docking bay himself as the last ship was brought in, he contented himself knowing that picking up the survivors would at least placate Ezaria, knowing that they were able to save the crew.

"Leutinant Amon Lothaire." Amon saluted, and then shook Martin's hand, "I've heard a lot about you, sir."

"Not quite a french accent." Martin smiled, "Are you from Louisana, Leutinant?"

"Deep in the bayou." Amon smiled, "Not many people can recognize the accent. Are you from the area?"

"Not really. My distant relatives are from Iowa."

Amon laughed, it was nice to meet someone originally from the same area of Earth as he was, even though they were two completely different people.

"Can we chat?" Martin said, "I have my people taking care of everything."

"Of course." Amon glanced next to him, Maria nodded and headed off to help with the operations in the launch bay. The shuttles still needed to be unloaded.

They strolled down the hallway of the Eternal. It was an amazing ship, Amon thought to himself, and he had never really suspected that he would ever get to set foot on it.

"We ran a rescue operation over to the ruins of the Coursica." Martin said, "Ezaria-sama has given me a few specific orders regarding you and your crew. Blue Cosmos was specifically hunting your ship, so we have been ordered to not announce that there were any survivors from the crash."

Lothaire stopped, and turned to look out of the window. If that was true, then everyone they knew, all their family and friends, thought they were dead. Everyone had known that there were risks by enlisting onto the Coursica. It was the first ship with a Orb-ZAFT crew.

"So what are the options?" he asked.

Martin looked out the window as well, and put his hands in his pockets.

"You can come work with us, or you will be hidden."

"Hidden?"

"On PLANT. We have allies that will make you and your crew disappear."

"_C'est ein affaire a pus finir_." Amon let out a sigh, "I will ask my crew. I can tell you right now that many of them will volunteer to fight. Me, I know that I wouldn't be able to sit around doin' nothing."

Martin nodded, "I understand."

"May I ask a question?" Amon replied, "Did you find Captain Hahnenfuss?"

DaCosta was quiet a moment, and then said in a hushed voice, "I'm sorry."

Glaring at the dark background of space, Amon heaved a loud sigh, "It's always the ones that don' deserve to die that do. I would hate to be in Cosmos' place now."

"Why do you say that?"

"Her fiance is going to be none to happy." Lothaire said sadly.

* * *

Ezaria sat at her desk, utterly disgusted. It was a good thing that Michael had decided to check the reports when he did, otherwise the Coursica crew would have been completely destroyed. She looked up when the door opened, and Michael walked into her office. 

"The Eternal is docking." he said.

She was quiet a moment, "How many people on this base know that Shiho Hahnenfuss is my son's fiance?"

"You, myself, and Meyrin."

"Good, I want to keep that way."

"Yes, ma'am."

Ezaria stood up, straightening her jacket, "And what do you have to report to me about our little...'secret'?"

"Arrived safely on the Eternal and will be transported into protective quarters once preparations are complete."

"Good." she smiled, "Because of you, we were able to save a lot of people today. You're mother would have been so proud of you, to see you now." she said, "When this is all over, I promised myself I would visit their graves. I am sorely overdue on Lenore and Patrick Zala as well. Would like to accompany me?"

Michael frowned, "I-"

"We all have our past demons, Michael." she said, "You can't run from them, you must live with them. That is how it goes."

He sighed, and nodded, "Yeah, I'll go with."

She opened the door and they both left her office. Walking with her down the hallway, she finally decided to pass an idea by him.

"Michael, there is something I must ask you."

"Yes?"

"When Blue Cosmos is defeated, and the PLANT Supreme Council is re-established, there needs to be someone that will be willing to run it. You are-"

"No." he said bluntly, his golden eyes flashing violently at her, "I refuse."

She sighed, "But, your father-"

"I don't care about who my father was." he said, "My family is gone. I would rather not follow in their footsteps and make the same mistakes. I forgave them long ago for what they did, I would rather not have to face that again."

She punched the code into for the door, and nodded,

"When the war is over, I will ask you again." she said as the doors opened.

Michael glared at her, he had a feeling that she was setting him up to ask such a propsal of him. But when he thought about the whole undertaking, it made him sick. The whole responsibility of it would be enormous, especially after such a long bloody war, and he was not sure he could handle that on his shoulders.

Ever since he had been taken by the rebels and kidnapped him from Blue Cosmos, his life did not seem to get any easier. It was only getting harder.

* * *

Yzak scribbled madly, signing each one of the reports before they were supposed to be faxed back to Orb. After this, he was going to be taking the ship on a scouting mission. 

The mission that Shiho and the Coursica were supposed to be on.

The pen snapped in his hand again as he dropped it onto the desk, dragging his shaking hands over his face. It was a miracle he had not fractured his skull when he slammed his head into the wall. The doctor had stitched the gash in his forehead, but the fact remained that Yzak did not even feel the pain in his head. He wished he could, it would be welcomed at that point.

After everything that he did, after everything that he tried, it had not been enough. The ship was still destroyed, Shiho was still dead, and he was alone. Again.

"Damn it." he stood up and walked over to the window.

This was the last mission he was going on, he planned on submitting a resignation to Zala after the mission was over. Have Dearka take his spot, or Bjorkland, or someone else...he did not care anymore. All he wanted to do was get off the ship and get away. Before when the Voltaire had been a sanctuary for him, now it just served as some sort of torture chamber with all the memories he had with it.

The door opened. Dearka did not bother knocking anymore.

"You gotta cut this out, Yzak."

Yzak did not move from where he stood and answered is a quiet nonchalant voice, "Get out of my office."

"You are the captain of this ship!" Dearka roared, "There are people's lives that rest on your shoulders! You can't just stand in this office and shut down!"

"What the hell would you know?!" Yzak roared, slamming his hand on the table, "You don't even know what went on after you left! You can't even _begin_ to understand how I feel-"

"You think you're the only one thats upset?" Dearka snapped, "Athrun and Cagali are horrified. This is an act of war, Yzak. Blue Cosmos destroyed an Orb-ZAFT ship and in case you forgot, I just lost one of my closest friends. _Again_. Do you know how many people I've lost that I cared about? Nicol, Rusty, Miguel...the list goes on. Now I have to add Shiho to that. Sure, I feel like beating the shit out of someone for it but right now but this crew needs to know that it's officers are still able to keep this ship in an organized matter."

Yzak turned away from him, looking back out of the window.

"Athrun sent orders." Dearka said, dropping the file on Yzak's desk, "He said he wants them carried out immediately."

Yzak reached to the side and dragged the file off the desk, flipping it open in his hands. Scanning it over, he then glanced at Dearka, who glared back at him.

"You forget." Dearka said, "Blue Cosmos has crossed us personally now. Orb will not let this slide. We have been ordered to hunt down this ship, and use whatever means to destroy it-"

"-we're supposed to meet up with the rebels on Aprillius One and join their forces, and organize an allied fleet." Yzak repeated out loud.

Yzak let the words sink into his mind, and his eyes narrowed viciously as he slammed the folder shut, tucking it under his arm. He marched towards the door, Dearka trailed after him as he stormed down the hallway.

"Yzak-"

"I'm going to make them pay, Dearka." Yzak murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, "I'm not going to stop till every single one of them has paid tenfold. I don't care what you have to do, Dearka, I want you to reach every single ZAFT ship and tell them that Chairman Jule has orders."

_Chairman Jule_. Dearka smirked to himself, Yzak was finally pulling out all the stops. If he reassumed his position as a former Supreme Council member it would have later implications that would be hard to deal with, but at the moment Yzak did not seem to care about that.

"Aye, sir." Dearka said.

Yzak stopped in front of the communications room, putting his code into the lock. Dearka gave him a confused look.

"I don't want to be disturbed." Yzak said, "I want you to order the crew onto stand by. As soon as I can sort out some loose ends, we're going to carry out Zala's orders."

"What are you doing?" Dearka said.

Yzak glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes as the door slid open. Stepping into the communications room, Yzak turned to lock the door behind him.

"I think it's time I called my mother."

* * *

_I hope you enjoyed the chapter, the next one will be posted this friday. Only 3 or 4 chapters left. Send me a message and tell me what you think :D_

_  
If anyone was curious about the Cajun French, here are a few translations. (I've been getting the french out of a book by Tami Hoag called A Thin Dark Line. I don't own anything out of that, even though it's pretty easy to get Cajun French phrases online. I just want to make sure I don't get in trouble for using something for a soure. A Thin Dark Line is a really good book. :D)_

_A special thanks to my sister who helped me out with some of the french. You rock Izu! _

_chere : dear, darling, honey  
_

_C'est ein affaire a pus finir : basically means "this is a thing that never ends"_

_Je t'aime, ma douce amie : I love you, my sweet love  
_

_I hope that helps a little. :P__  
_

_Arigato _

_Lilith_


	17. Chapter 17

_There will be a double update this week. I don't think I'll have time over the holidays next week to do one, so I hope this makes up for it :D Detour is a little over four months away, and I need to deal with making 3 cosplays. ::sigh:: I should be fun though._

_I hope you like the chapter!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Seed Destiny  
_

* * *

Djibril sat at the table in the councilroom. He looked at his generals, and smiled. 

"Preparations for the first assult on Orb are ready, sir." one of them said, "We have all the ships in position."

"Good." Djibril nodded, looking at Sue. She looked away from him, "Don't look so depressed, Miss Fredricksen. This is all thanks to your dear brother."

She didn't say anything.

"Speaking of which-" Djibril looked at the general on his left, "-how is Commander Fredricksen, General North?"

General North had been the one to destroy the Coursica. He had been instantly promoted into Djibril's inner circle. Sue found him to be a horrid man.

"He's in protective custody." one of the others replied.

Sue gritted her teeth and handed Djibril the report, "I brought you the update, sir."

"Ah, thank you." he said, looking it over, "Thank you, Sue, you're dismissed."

She nodded and left the room. Walking down the hallway, she found herself heading down the hallway towards the brig. The gaurds unlocked the doors after she showed them her ID, and slowly heading down the cooridor, she stopped in front of the seventh cell on the left.

Remi Fredricksen's head moved slightly, and he looked at her from the corner he sat in. His hands were cuffed, and many of his wounds had been left unattended to.

"Rem." she said, her voice cracking slightly, "Rem, stop this. I don't care what happens to me. Please, just give this up. There are other people at stake here. Please..."

He gave her a small smile.

"If it was just me, Susiette." he said, "I would not make a second choice in the matter. I may earn a lifetime in hell for what I am doing but...I trust Orb. I know that they will be able to put Blue Cosmos in their place."

Sue gripped the bars, "You idiot." she sniffed, letting her forehead rest on the bars, "Djibril is planning on attacking Orb and Aprillius."

"Then I pray to God for their safety."

* * *

_Her breath caught as he moved over her. It had been so long that both of them had lived together without voicing their feelings out loud, and in one mad rush everything came out before they could stop it. Her legs wrapped around his waist, too weak to cling onto his neck her arms rest on the pillows next to her head. _

_He held himself over her with his elbows, leaning over once more to kiss her, and enjoying the fact that he could. Neither of them cared about what might end up happening in the future. All they cared about was that one moment. _

_"You're amazing, you know that?" he murmured in her ear, smiling as she chuckled. Turning her head to the side as he kissed the corner of her jaw._

_"You're telling me I'm amazing?" she whispered, "You're doing all the work."_

_"I like being selfish, what can I say?"_

_Her eyes rolled back into her head as he pulled foreward, planting a hand onto the wall behind her head as he dove into her. At one point, her hands smoothed over his strong back, her fingers digging into his shoulders. His mouth closed over hers, pulling away he touched his forehead to hers,_

_"Shiho?" he murmured, "I have to make a confession."_

_She opened her eyes to see his blue orbs staring at her. Whenever she looked at him, it felt like he could stare into her soul. _

_"Wh-What?" Shiho asked him, brushing the damp hair out of his face._

_"You said earlier that you love me." he said, "I'm in love with you too..."_

Shiho's eyes snapped open, and she stared at the ceiling. It was old concrete, like some sort of bomb shelter, with an old ceiling fan turning slowly overhead. There was a creek as a door opened, as she raised a hand to rub her head. It was wrapped thickly in bandages.

Once again she was waking up injured in a strange place.

"Careful, you don't want to move too quickly. You had a concussion for a while."

It was a familiar voice, but Shiho could not quite place it. Once the woman sat next to her bedside, placing a dinner tray on the table, she then realized who it was.

"I'm sorry we don't have better quarters. This was the safest place I could place you."

Shiho smiled, "It's alright, Ezaria-sama."

"Please." Ezaria shook her head, "Call me Ezaria. I brought you some dinner. It's not caviar, but its food."

"It's fine. I am a soldier after all." Shiho sat up slowly.

"It's been a long time." Ezaria smiled, "Last time I saw you was at the annual ball that your parents attended while your father was in council."

"That was a long time ago, Ezaria-san."

"How is my son these days?"

Shiho froze a moment, unsure of what to say to the woman. Looking down at the ruby engagement band on her hand, she suddenly found that she was unable to stop the tears. She cried, wrapping her arms around herself. Ezaria pulled the girl into her arms.

"I know everything." Ezaria told her, "I know that you're engaged to Yzak, and I know what happened on your ship."

She sniffed, "I saw his ship right before...oh god, he probably thinks I'm dead. What about my crew?" she sat up rubbing her eyes, "Are they okay? Did the shuttles-"

"We had then picked up by the Eternal. They will be arriving her shortly." Ezaria told her, "I'll come tell you when they get here, for now you need to rest."

"But-"

"I'll take care of you, Shiho. You're going to be my son's wife. That means you're my daughter now. Jules always stick together." she laughed, "It'll be nice to have someone watching him. God knows he needs it."

Shiho laughed at that comment, and nodded. Ezaria looked at the ring on her hand, "He has good taste."

Smiling, Shiho nodded, "Yeah, he does."

There was a knock on the door, and when it opened, Shiho found herself staring curiously at the tall, blond-haired man that walked in. He was around her age, and was quite handsome for someone who obviously radiated the 'I'm a soldier' aura. But it was not that part of him that made her curious, it was his eyes. He had golden eyes.

"You're presence is needed in the control room, Ezaria-sama." he said, he saluted quickly to Shiho, "It's an honor to meet you Captain Hahenfuss."

She nodded, "You are?"

"Michael Rhinner." he said.

"Michael works in the control room with Meyrin Hawke and I." Ezaria said, "He's been very helpful. He's the one who detected the spy on your ship from this end. We were able to send the Eternal out to pick up the shuttles because of it."

He shook his head, "It was nothing-"

"Thank you." Shiho smiled at him, "Thank you for saving my crew, Mr. Rhinner."

Staring at her a moment, he nodded, "You're welcome, ma'am."

Shutting the door behind her, Ezaria turned to Michael,

"How many people know she's here?"

"You, myself, Meyrin, and Captain DaCoasta." Michael said, "Because there is a danger of spies, I've logged her in the system under a false case file and the name Second Leutinant Loreli Night."

"Good, I don't want anyone else to know." she said, "I'll protect that girl for Yzak if it kills me."

"Speaking of which-" Michael looked at her, "-there was a communication sent for you, I came to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"Captain Jule is on the line. He's asking for you."

* * *

Yzak sat in the communication room for hours. There were so many encoded lines to sort through, but he could not trust anyone else on board to do this except himself. Putting Dearka in charge of everything else ensured that things would get done while he was working, and this left Yzak to try and long as he needed to get in contact with the underground rebel that had called him. 

About four hours later, listening to the ring of a telephone, a gruff voice answered. It was the same voice that had contacted him when he was on Carpentaria.

"What?"

Yzak frowned, "That's such an unhospitable way to answer a phone. Someone might think you have a stick up your ass."

There was a pause, and then he said,

"This better be a secure line, Jule. What if-"

"This is a coded line, don't worry." Yzak said, leaning back in his chair and putting his feet on the console, "I trained in ZAFT Academy for four years, man, I not an idiot. I can code a transmission in my sleep."

"Well, don't you have high potential."

"Look." Yzak folding his arms behind his head, "I just watched my fiance's ship being blown to hell, so you'd better get my mother on the line right now or you'd better take it seriously when I say that I could find your base just as easily as I could find this line."

There was another long pause, and then the person on the line said, "Hold on."

* * *

Ezaria ran down the few steps that led to the control room, grabbing the headset at the front console. 

"Yzak, honey, is that you?"

She could almost see him smiling on the other side, "_Hello, mother_." he chuckled, "I_ got the message you left last year. I'm sorry I didn't contact you_."

Ezaria sunk into the chair. It had been two years since she had seen her son, "That's alright, sweetheart. How are you doing okay?"

Yzak closed his eyes, "_No. No, I'm not okay_."

Michael watched on as Ezaria chatted quickly over the line to her son. He was not really all that surprised that Yzak was able to hack into his cell, after all, Michael had done the same thing to Yzak earlier. He was about to turn back to his station when he felt Meyrin tug on his arm.

"Why don't we leave her alone for a while?" the girl smiled.

Michael stared at her a moment, "Okay." he shrugged, following her towards the hallway exit.

"Since Captain Hahnenfuss is up-" she said in a hushed voice, "I'm going to get her some clothes and put her on refugee detail."

"Good plan." he said. He stopped and glanced back Ezaria.

"I've never seen her this happy." Meyrin smiled, "He loves her son very much, you know."

Michael frowned, a memory from long ago coming into his mind.

_"How are you, darling? Is the Academy treating you well?" his mother asked._

_"It's great." Michael replied, smiling to himself, "What about you, mother, are you doing well?"_

_"Sure." she siad, "I called to tell you something."_

_"What?"_

_There was a pause, "I've been given my own command. I will be leaving in a week. Your brother will be on board too."_

_Michael stopped a moment, and then he sighed, "Take care, mother. Tell Nissan that I said hi."_

_She laughed, "Always the resilliant one. Sure, I'll tell him..."_

"Yeah." Michael nodded in agreement, ignoring Meyrin's curious gaze as he disappeared down the hall.

* * *

Shiho followed Meyrin Hawke down the hallway. She had never really met the girl before, but she had met Lunamaria Hawke a few times during her Academy days. They had been opponents in a fencing tournament. 

"We'll be sticking you in Bay 7." she said, "You'll be helping the medical workers with the refugees. I hope you did will in feild medicine."

"Top of the class." Shiho nodded.

"Good." Meyrin smiled, "You seem like a nice person. They'll probably just stick you with keeping people company and changes bandages anyway."

Shiho nodded again as Meyrin proceeded to give her a string of instructions. Rolling up the sleeves on her blue sweater to her elbows, she tied a white apron around her waist that Meyrin handed her. She had taken off her uniform, and were wearing some clothes that had been given to her. A blue sweater and a long ankle-length skirt. Normally, Shiho did not care for wearing skirts while she worked, but in situations were she had to blend in, she made an exception.

They put her to work following the doctor around and carrying things. Bay 7 had been covered into a huge infirmary, and there were easily a hundred or more refugees housed in the bay.

"...they come to us on ships from the other PLANTs. They run away or stow away on ships just to get here from other colonies that Blue Cosmos have imposed martial law and other rediculous regulations on. There are also a lot of AWOL soldiers here. Get a lot of orphans too. The soldiers either join us, or we hide them in businesses in PLANT..."

Doctor Lovejoy prattled on to her as they wove around the bay changing bandages and looking over people. He was an elderly man, taller then her, and fit for his age. He was very smart, and Shiho thought he was a very pleasant person.

"What about the orphans?"

"We take care of them. Some of them have parents in Blue Cosmos who send their kids here for protection."

"Protection?"

"Blue Cosmos blackmails ZAFT officers into working for them."

Shiho frowned, looking absolutly disgusted.

"So, what's your story, Miss Night?"

Shiho had to get used to her new name, "I was injured on a mission."

"Well." he said, looking at the bandages of a wounded soldier. He snapped his fingers and she began handing him supplies, "Now there has to be more to the story then that."

"How so?"

"You gotta be important if Ezaria-sama is going to this much effort to keep you out of view." he said, "What...you engaged to someone important?" he then laughed at her shocked look, "That's a pretty sizeable rock, girlie. From that I suspect it's someone important."

"Yeah." she smiled sadly, "You could say that."

"Awh, don't worry, I won't say nuthin." he said, changing the bandages on the unconcious man and checking his pupils, "No one here is that observant anyway."

"Thanks, doctor-"

Her response was cut short as an alarm went off.

* * *

Cagali sat in front of the screen, a sickening feeling wash over her as she stared at Djibril's face. She had never talked to him in person before, only seeing him speaking on tv, but she found that her interpretation of him was the same. He was snide and a bastard.

"Well, well, Hime-sama, it is a pleasure." he said, "May I add, how disappointed I was to find that such an upstanding Natural such as yourself married a traidor against humanity."

"You don't know anything about Athrun Zala, do you even dare preach your Cosmos philosophy to me." she said, "General Kisaka says that you want to negotiate our surrendor. I came to tell you to screw you."

Djibril smiled at her, "You're exactly like I heard. I admire that strong will of yours, Hime-sama, but it will not save you or your country. You see, Orb represents everything that I hate."

"We won't surrender." Cagali told him, "If you attack this country or any of our allies, we'll use whatever power we have to fight you."

"You misunderstand me, Hime." he said, "If you do not surrendor Orb, we will begin to systematically destroy your country as well as the rebel base on Aprillius."

She gasped, "You bastard-"

Djibril smiled at her, "I urg you to see reason, Hime. If you simply surrender..."

Cagali stood up out of her chair.

"Chairman Djibril." she said, quickly getting control of her temper, "I have not had the pleasure of speaking with Ezaria-dono myself, however-" she closed her eyes a moment, knowing what the reprucussions of her response would be, "-we have all fought long and hard in the war. There is no way that we would simply surrender."

Glaring at her, he moved to turn off the link, "You have dug your own grave, Hime."

"I'll tell you the same thing I told Chairman Dullindal." she said, "I would prefer if you didn't call me that."

She closed the channel herself. _Haumea, forgive me..._

* * *

It was dark outside, and Kira entered the bedroom, seeing Lacus sitting on the top of the bed playing with Akira. Akira reached foreward with a tiny hand and grabbed a chunk of her hair. Lacus laughed while prying his fingers from her pink locks.

"No, no, A-chan." she said, "Grabbing hair is a no-no."

"He's only a month old, Lacus, I don't think he understands you." Kira slipped off his work jacket and hung it on the hook in the corner of the room. He had just pulled in the driveway from working a few hours at Morgenrate. They needed some help with mobile suit maintence, and Kira was the best person to ask.

"He likes the sounds." she smiled, kissing the little boy's forehead, "He knows where they come from."

"True enough." he said, "I heard you singing to him in the kitchen the other day."

She sat Akira in her lap, an apprehensive look on her face.

"What?" Kira asked, leaning on the edge of the dresser, standing across from her.

"I can sing and play music...opera, pop music, all sorts. I'm going to teach this all to Akira. Kira-" she looked up at her husband, "-are you going to teach Akira how to pilot a mobile suit?"

Kira fell silent, slouching back on his arms, "I hope I never have to."

Lacus smiled sympathetically at him. Kira walked foreward, kneeling on the floor and reaching over towards them. The lightly brushed his fingers over his son's cheek. The little booy giggled and grabbed tightly onto Kira's fingers.

"I was always such a geek, Lacus." he chuckled, "Look at you. I wonder how Akira is going to turn out."

She laughed, "You a wonderful geek, Kira." kissing the top of Kira's head.

"Gezz, thanks for the support." he grinned at her, "I hope-"

He froze, his face turn a dull pale as if he had seen a ghost.

"Kira?" she stared at him worriedly, "What is it?"

He stood up and walked towards the balcony window. Opening the doors, Kira stared at the horizon.

"Lacus, pack some things. Tell my mother and Malchio to get the children together. Take Akira and run."

"What?" she said, "Why-"

"Blue Cosmos." he said, "Blue Cosmos is here."

* * *

_Send and review and tell me what you think!_

_Arigato_

_Lilith_


	18. Chapter 18

_I apologize if there are more grammer mistakes then normal. I don't have a lot of time to get these chapters done :l_

_Yeah, double update. Don't think I'll have time before Thanksgiving next week to do one then, so I hope 2 chapters is okay. Not too many left. Uwah! I having so much fun with this story. :D_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Seed Destiny_

* * *

Yzak left the communications room the moment Bjorkland paged him. In his hand were a few coordinates written on a piece of paper. The door to the intelligence office opened were a small team of his officers were working around the clock to try and de-code messages from Cosmos. Miriallia was in there, and she walked to the door when he appeared. 

"These coordinates are important."

She stared at the piece of paper, "Leave this to me, sir."

He nodded, and dismissed himself to let them work. Miriallia and her crew had probably gotten even less sleep then he had been getting. Walking onto the bridge, his first-officer stood.

"What is it?"

"Blue Cosmos is attacking Orb." Bjorkland said, "The attack started 2 hours ago. They were blocking transmissions so we didn't get the information till it was too late."

Yzak swore out loud. If they had remained at the base, Orb would have more protection then it had at the moment.

"Have we received any deep-space transmissions?"

"No, sir."

He knew there were other ZAFT captains out there that were itching for a battle against Blue Cosmos. Hearing the elevator door open, Dearka stepped onto the bridge and took his seat at the helm. Yzak folded his arms and paced for a moment. They had to act fast, they did not have time to play twenty questions.

"Open a channel into subspace."

"But sir-" the CIC turned to him, "-then Blue Cosmos will be able to hear-"

"I know how a communication channel works, Sargent, open it."

"Y-Yes, sir."

There was a soft beep as the channel opened.

* * *

Athrun had already pulled on his uniform. Justice was being loaded as he was getting ready to go. When the door opened from the bathroom, Athrun could not help but stare at Cagali. 

She looked beautiful.

Wearing a uniform that was nearly a replica of her late father's military uniform, she also wore a blue longcoat over it, and stripes on the arms told what her rank was. Instead of leaving her hair down, she had pinned it onto her head. There was a light layer of make-up on her face, a pair of white crystal earings that dangled from her ears, and a light shade of white lipstick on her lips.

"Wow." he said, "If you're going to look like that, we should have a national emergancy more often."

"Well, you know-" she strolled over to him, "-I'm not a 15 year old army brat anymore. I need to look my best."

"You don't need all of this to look your best." he said, his hands tangeling in her hair, "You know what I think the best way you look is-"

She threw her arms around his neck.

He was going into battle. It had been decided not too long ago, even though he had tried to make the decision never to fight again. When she tried to beg him to stay on the base, he had simply told her that Orb was his home too and he was going to fight to protect it.

Pressing her face in his shoulder, "You'd better come back."

Athrun nodded, "You take care too."

Taking his coat, they walked solemnly down the hallway. As they turned to head down the grand staircase of the mansion towards the front door, Athrun stopped.

The whole staff was lining the hallways. He turned at looked at Cagali, who smiled at him. She took his hand and led him down the hall. It was the first time she ever showed any sort of affection for him in front of everyone else. They had agreed to keep their relationship away from public view. Everyone knew they were married, but neither of them wanted their relationship status to become a liability in any sort of sense.

When they reached the front enterance, Kisaka was waiting for him, and a jeep was parked in front of the mansion ready to take him to the base. He turned to Cagali,

"I-"

She kissed him in front of everyone. Her arms wound around his neck, feeling him starting to kiss her back. When she pulled back, there were tears in her eyes and he kissed them from her cheeks.

"Careful." she murmured, "My make-up will run."

"Then don't cry." he told her, "There's nothing to cry about."

"Athrun-"

"I love you. I love you and I will come back." he said, "So there's no reason. Don't worry about me or Orb. Everything will be fine. "

She stared into his eyes a moment, and then smiled as she kissed him on the forehead, "I love you too, Athrun."

He pulled out of her arms and turned through the doorway with Kisaka. She stood at the top of the stone staircase outside of the building. Kisaka turned at glanced at her, giving her a small smile as he turned on the engine. She smiled back and nodded. In some ways, Kisaka was like her father. He had always been there when she needed someone to talk too, and had been her bodygaurd as long as she could remember.

_You don't need to protect me anymore, Kisaka,_ she thought, _protect Athrun_.

He raised a hand, _I will._

Cagali watched the jeep disappear in the distance. Turning around and entering back into the house, she turned to her staff,

"Everyone back to your duties! We have a lot to get done!"

Everyone broke off in all directions, preparing for the attack from Blue Cosmos.

* * *

Kira rushed down the hallway, pulling his black trenchcoat over his shoulders. His mother and Malchio were already taking care of the orphans. He could hear the rumbles overhead as the ship and mobile suits rushed overhead. The beach they lived on was the first boundry of Orb. There was not much time, and he was worried that once Djibril was able to point out their position, that Lacus would be in danger more so then everyone else. She was still listed as a fugitive by Cosmos authorties. 

Outside, the cars were loaded and ready to head out to the evacuation shelters. Lacus handed Akira to Caridad, still running over the list of things in her mind to take with. Bouncing out of her bag was Haru, the little pink ball that came with her everywhere. Most of the time it spent it's days entertaining the children with Kira's Torii, but there were times when Kira would see it bouncing about her when she did daily chores, or found it keeping Akira company while she worked in the kitchen.

She stopped a moment, "My computer."

"What?" Kira turned to her.

"My computer, Kira-" she said, "-I need it. If Blue Cosmos gets ahold of it-"

"I know." he said, "I'll go back in and get it."

"I have to do it." she shook her head, "I'm the only one that knows the codes."

There was an explosion, and screaming filled their ears. Kira grabbed her, turning her under him as the mobile suits began their assult.

_Damn_, he gritted his teeth, _they weren't wasting time_.

"Kira!" Caridad called out to him, still holding Akira in her arms. Despite all of the noise and terrified screams, he was completely calm. Lacus looked up at Kira, a worried look in her eyes. He nodded briefly to her.

"They'll want to come after me!" Lacus said, "Go!"

"We won't leave you!" Kira's mother shook her head.

"Akira can't fall into their hands." Kira said, "Take him and everyone and get out."

"Kira-"

Malchio touched the shoulder of the soldier that was driving them. Nodding, there was a dull roar as the engine started. Caridad stared at Kira and Lacus, there were tears in her eyes. They were two of the most capable people she knew. Both of them were experts in so many different fields, more intelligent then people with twice their experience. But they were also parents trying to protect their child, and that was something that Caridad understood.

She nodded, "Stay safe."

Kira laid a hand on her face, kissed his mother's forehead, "Malchio, take care of my mother!"

The Reverand smiled, "No problem, General Yamato."

Kira chuckled, and he pulled his wife into his arms as they stepped away. She clung to him as the caravan of cars disappeared. Lacus looked up at him, there were tears pouring down her face.

"Akira..."

"He'll be alright." Kira said, "Come on! We need to get inside!"

* * *

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her inside the house. Locking the door, he followed her to the back of the house. There was a door at the end of the hallway on the fourth floor that looked like a regular closet door, but it needed to be opened with a thumbprint lock. There were two people that could open it, Cagali and Lacus. 

Lacus pressed her finger to the lockpad next to the doorknob. There was a crash downstairs that sounded like glass breaking. He reached into the holster that was bound around his shoulders, caulking the gun back as he stood with his back to her, his eyes scanning the the hallway as he stepped to the window.

He could see the large warships out in the ocean, troops were already on the shore.

"Lacus-"

"I know." she said, opening the door. Pulling out the brooms and vacuum that were kept in the closet she crawled under one of the shelves, and pulled a box back to reveal a safe. Inside it was the laptop that contained all the information of the members in the Clyne Faction, their personal files, records, and codes for their bases and allied ships.

She began punching in the code for the safe.

Kira ducked behind the window as a gunshot from outside cut through the window. Smashing throught the window next to it, he fired back, ducking behind the wall again.

"Lacus! We have to get out of here!"

"I know!" she said, "Don't rush me!"

He smirked, for some reason it always made him smile when she shouted stern orders at people. She made the perfect battleship commander. With her outward appearance of someone who looked like a cream puff, Kira was pretty sure Lacus was tougher then he was as a soldier.

There was another crash on the second floor of the beach house mansion. They had broken down the door.

Kira loaded the gun again, and pressed his back against the wall as he paced slowly towards the edge of the hallway, glancing down the hallway, it was pitch dark.

He blinked his eyes, and they turned a solid blue.

He could see the red lasers from the rifle sights shining down the adjacent hallway. The enemy troops were hunting them in their own house. From what Kira could hear, there were four down that hallway, which was managable enough for him. But there were more coming in the house as they worked.

"I got it." Lacus said, pulling the laptop into her bag, and shutting the door behind her, "What's the situation?"

"We're trapped." Kira said, "I can take most of them, but there's more coming downstairs-"

He stopped, _what the hell was that?_

"What?" she asked, "What is it?"

Kira listened closer, a deep frown creasing his face. There was something else downstairs that was moving quickly, too quick for a Natural. The person was already on the third floor.

"There's something coming." Kira said, "Stay here."

Holding the gun tight in his hands, he took a deep breath to let the tension out of his mind. He never got used to shooting a gun, no matter how good his shooting was, he hated guns. Pushing himself away from his spot he dove around the corner.

The end of a gun barrel pointed straight at his face, and a pair of red eyes glowed at him in the dark. Despite this, Kira had his gun trained on the man's face as well, ready to shoot the moment there was a sign of movement. Kira could move fast. Even if the person fired, Kira would be able to evade it.

He suddenly realized who it was.

"Christ, Yamato-" the young man smirked, knowing very well that he could not best Kira face-to-face, "-you should be careful with that. You might shoot someone."

Kira smirked back, "Just because I don't have any formal military training doesn't mean I don't know how to shoot a gun." he said, "Asuka."

* * *

Shiho stayed in Bay 7, watching as the workers outside the doorway tried to find solutions the new sitatuion. Orb had been attacked by Blue Cosmos, and Ezaria was rushing to try and lend aid if it was possible. She had been ordered to stay in the bay and out of sight. As much as she hated it, she really did not want to run the risk of ruining her cover-up. Djibril would have a field day if he somehow caught her. 

She was cleaning a small scrape on the knee of a tiny girl. The little girl was probably no older then 5, and she had come with her parents on a ZAFT ship from one of the other colonies. From what Doctor Lovejoy had told her, the girl's parents were both ZAFT officers. Currently, they were staffed on the Eternal for a while and she was being taken care of by one of the nannies that worked with the group of orphaned children.

"So, what's your name, sweety?"

"Nina." the little girl smiled.

"That's a pretty name." Shiho said, cleaning a little blood off the scrape. It was not bad, Nina had just bumped her leg into a table. "How old are you?"

"Four, but I'll be five next month."

"Wow, you're getting old."

Nina laughed, "How old are you?"

"Twenty one."

"Cool!" Nina beamed, then she made a face, "You must get to do so many things. There's a lot of things I want to do but I can't because I'm too young."

_She's very smart for someone who was only four_, Shiho thought to herself, "Trust me, there are a lot of times I wish I was younger."

"Really? Why?"

"Well..." Shiho said, taking out a bandaid, she pealed off the wrapper and put it gently on the little girl's knee, "...when I was five I always got to go to parties, wear pretty dresses...my mother would always bring me to the gardens to draw. My father liked to show me off to the people he worked with. I never had to worry about wars or fighting or anything terrible."

Nina listened intently, and she seemed to understand. "I miss mama and papa. Do you miss your mama and papa?"

Shiho gave her a sad smile, "All the time."

It was then that Nina noticed the bandages on Shiho's left arm and on her forehead. She pointed at her head, "What happened?"

Shiho touched her own injured head gently.

_"You-"_

_In the traditional french custom, he kissed both of her cheeks._

_"Shiho, I'm sorry." he whispered into her ear._

_He looked up and gasped as the Blue Cosmos ship opened its gunports and fired a final barrage. Shiho found them both thrown into the air as they were surrounded with smoke and flames. Looking up from her spot on the floor, sshe saw a sad smile at Fredricksen's face. The ship was falling apart, and there was not much time..._

_He pulled her to her feet, punched in the code for the door as the ceiling began to fall in on the other end of the cooridor. Grabbing her collar he shoved her into the shuttle, and to her horror, the door shut behind her._

_"NO!" she screamed, running towards the window on the shuttle door, pounding on it with both fists, "No! You'll die! You can't-"_

_"C'est bien, chere." he smiled, "It's alright. This is what I deserve."_

_He pressed in the rest of the code and the shuttle launched. Pressing his forehead to the window, standing alone on the ship as it began to break apart._

"I fell and hit my head." Shiho said, "I'm alright though, it's not as bad as it looks."

Nina giggled, "I guess both of us are pretty clumsy." her feet dangling on the edge of the table.

Shiho could not help but chuckle, but her smile fadded as she turned around to clean off the table, "I suppose you're right."

* * *

Michael leaned over Meyrin's shoulder as he fingers flew across the keyboard. They were trying to alert all of the allied ships. If Blue Cosmos was attacking Orb, then it was only a matter of time before they began to attack them. Ezaria was leaning over the center console in the control room with a few of her ZAFT officers, going over strategic plans. Captain DaCosta stood next to her, a look of consternation on his face. It was very likely that the Eternal would end up being the ship commanding the main defense fleet. 

Meyrin made a curious noise, and Michael turned to her,

"What is it?"

"I'm getting a transmission." she said, "Its from the Voltaire."

Yzak Jule was a stubborn son of a bitch, but Michael knew that's would made him a good captain. Picking up a headset he began to listen to it and realizing what it was, he turned to Ezaria.

"Ezaria-san! There's an annoucement!"

She nodded to him and he put it on the main screen.

"...I encourage all ZAFT ships to combine forces. It has been too long that our people have been hunted and murdered by Djibril and Blue Cosmos. We have stood aisde and watched innocents die, and we have lived in fear for far too long. It's time that we stand up and fight against those that mean to destroy us. Join the fleet to fight against Blue Cosmos, join me in my attack against Djibril..."

Ezaria smirked, "That's Yzak, for you." she said, "Martin, get the Eternal ready and go meet the Voltaire. After a message like this, ZAFT won't turn a blind eye."

"It would be my pleasure, ma'am."

"Take a third of our fleet with you. Tell Yzak we'll watch PLANT. All he needs to concentrate on is his own priorities."

"Yes, ma'am." Martin rushed off the bridge.

Michael watched everything that was happening. Everyone was taking part in this battle. Despite the fact that it was probably a suicide mission, this was the battle that would decide everyone's fate.

"Michael?" Meyrin stared at him, "Are you alright?"

He made the decision in the back of his mind. If they got out of this alive, he was going to do everything he could to make sure that when the war ended, it would stay that way.

"Yeah." he said, leaving her side to speak with Ezaria.

Meyrin watched him. She had found out last night during one of her archieve searches who he really was. Part of her was upset that he never told her the truth, but she understood the reason why. After managing to find his real personal file, she had dug through it, memorizing every detail of it in order to try to think of a way she could tell him that he did not need to shoulder his entire past alone.

Ezaria nodded to him, and Michael rushed out of the room.

* * *

"Michael, wait!" Meyrin called, racing after him. He was heading towards the elevator lift. Stopping, he turned around to face her. "Where are you going? I thought-" 

"I'm going with the Eternal. They need an assult pilot, and Captain DaCosta can't do it because he needs to stay on the ship." he said, "I need to go back to PLANT. There are some things I need to tell Djibril, and I need to do it personally."

"No!" she shook her head, suddenly alarmed, "No! He'll kill you!"

"I need to take that risk." he said, "I can stop this war, Meyrin. I can stop this whole thing. I can stop so many people from sacrificing themselves, and I can make this all right again."

"Why you?" she asked. There were tears in her eyes now.

He stared at her. It was pointless now to hide the fact that he had fallen in love with her over the last couple weeks, and he knew that she cared for him more then she let on. Michael reached foreward and laid a hand gently on her face.

It might be the last time he saw her.

"Thank you." he said.

"For what?"

"For everything you've done for me." he said, "No one has ever helped me as much as you have. There is no way I can ever thank you for what you did."

She was half-crying now, a sad smile on her face, "You did get bonked on the head. It was the least I could do."

"You will make it out of this alive, I know it." he grinned back at her. He rarely smiled, and she had never seen him smile before like he was now. It was like he was truly happy, "You're so strong. Stronger then I ever was. Strong, smart, and beautiful."

She sniffed, "I-"

Michael folded her into his arms and kissed her. She was so much shorter then he was, he practically had to lifted her off her feet to reach her. Her own arms wrapped tightly around his neck, kissing him in return.

Abruptly pulled back he turned back into the elevator, pressing the button to close the elevator.

"Michael, wait, I-"

"I will never forget you." he smiled, speaking softly.

"Michael-"

He pressed the button. She ran foreward as the door opened, suddenly not caring any longer if he knew or did not know that she knew who he was. Standing less the a feet from him as the doors began to close, she beamed at him,

"I love you, Kenji Dullindal."

Meyrin watched his eyes grow wide and he opened his mouth to say something as the door shut. Then, he was gone and she stood alone in the hallway. Smearing the sleeve of her sweater over the tears on her cheeks, she turned away and headed back towards the control room.

If he was going to fight with everything he had, then so was she.

* * *

Michael stood in the elevator, staring at the reflection of his shocked face in the stainless steel of the elevator door. 

Gilbert Dullindal, Talia Gladys, and Rey Za Burrel.

The names of the people that had nearly brought on the destruction of millions of people on PLANT and Earth. It was a burden that he had to live with by himself. No one had called him by his real name since his mother died. Part of it was because if Djibril had learned that his own aid was the biological son of former Chairman Gilbert Dullindal and Captain Talia Gladys, and the brother of Rey Za Burrel, Michael was pretty sure that Djibril would have done worse then kill him for it. The other part of it was that he just did not want people to know who he really was. Normally, he would be terrified that someone knew.

_I love you, Kenji Dullindal._

Meyrin knew who he was. But despite that, he was not scared at all.

* * *

_I want to wish everyone Happy Thanksgiving for next week. I hope you liked the chapter, send a review and tell me what you think!_

_Arigato_

_Lilith_


	19. Chapter 19

_Sorry for the long wait, I was having a little block while trying to write this chapter. After I read it, it sort of sounded like one of those episodes in Gundam Seed where all you want to do is fast foreward to the few interesting parts so you don't have to sit through all the fight scenes. Oh well. The next chapter is going to be really interesting, I promise. This is sort of...a calm before the storm, if you want to call it that. _

_Despite everything, I hope you like it. The next chapter will be out ASAP. _

_**Note**: If you're curious, check out my profile and read the summary for "Owari section 2.0__". It's the next big story I have lined up. That will come out after this one finishes, so that's something to look for on Christmas week :D_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Seed Destiny_

* * *

The Eternal had fifteen minutes to launch. Almost the entire crew of the Coursica had been integrated into the Eternal. Because of the need for more experienced soldiers on some of the other ships, many of the new recruits from the Coursica were now working on the Eternal. Lothaire had never in a hundred years would have thought he would have been appointed the weapons officer on the Eternal, but when the message was sent to him that he was to report as soon as possible, he barely could contain himself. Hehn and Yukishiro were also going with them. 

"This is awesome!" Maria sat on the bench in the docking bay as things were being completed. All three of them were among the last of the crew to be transported, but needed to stay to the last minute to make sure the arrangements for the rest of the Coursica crew were completed, "I never would have thought that I would be working on the Eternal."

"It was a surprise to all of us." Hehn smiled.

"Me, I'm not complaining." Lothaire leaned against the wall, his arms folded behind his head. As he spoke, the elevator lift opened next to them and a blond man about his height stepped out wearing the same uniform as the rest of them.

"Heading out?" Amon called to him.

"Yeah, the Eternal."

"We're hitchin' a ride on the next jeep. Commin' with?"

"Sure." he said, "You are?"

"Leutinant Amon Lothaire." he shook the man's hand, "Sargent Maria Yukishiro, Leutinant Saahl Hehn. We were stationed on the Coursica."

"Major Michael Rhinner." he replied, there was an obivous sign of surprise in his voice, "Nice to meet you."

The jeep pulled up to the small group and they climbed in. Michael sat in the front, staring at the huge ship as they pulled up the ramp. His face fell slightly, suddenly thinking of the fight that he would be facing. The mobile suit battle would be simple compared to facing Djibril face to face.

"You okay there, _mon ami_?" Amon asked him.

Michael heaved a sigh, "I'm alright."

* * *

Yzak marched down the hallway towards his conference room. In the end, his little annoucement had appeared more useful then he had originally thought. Currently, there were four ZAFT, Nazsca-class ships off the port bow of the Voltaire. They had responded almost within the hour of the message's release. All four captains were in his conference room waiting to hear what he had to say. 

The door opened and Yzak trudged to his seat, sitting quickly down in front of everyone. Dearka stood inside the room, right next to the door. Four captains, all fellow captains from when Yzak first took his exams for command, were staring back at him with sheer interest.

"Long time no see, mate." Hugh grinned, "You look a little peaked."

"Thank you for your perfectly knowledgable assessment of my health, Captain Benton." Yzak glared at him, "I'm sure that the doctor would find you a most valuable assest."

"Woah, same temper as always." Rayena Yune laughed, leaning back in her seat, "At least that hasn't changed about you, Jule-kun."

The man across from Hugh yawned, "Yeah, what the hell is up with this Chairman stint?"

"I don't have a lot of options left, as I'm sure you don't either, Captain Noh" Yzak folded his arms, "It's my trump card. I can use my title to get what I want."

"It's a rather risky move." the monotone voice of Zakura Sable, she sat next to Captain Azules Noh, was directed towards Yzak. "Blue Cosmos knows where you are."

"Sable, Noh, Benton, Yune-" Yzak swept a glance across the room, "You're all right, there isn't much time so I'm not going to sit here and try to convince you all, and I'm going to cut out all the sucking up crap and get to the point. I'm on a mission to destroy Blue Cosmos. If you join, you will need to follow my orders and my rules. I'm not stopping till it's either us or them left standing."

There was silence, and Noh was the first to speak, "What's in it for us?"

"The satisfaction of knowing that we saved PLANT?" Yzak offered.

"Promotions?"

"Probably not."

"Raises?"

Yzak snorted, "What do you think?"

"Fame and glory?"

The Voltaire captain shrugged, "Course."

"Count me in." Noh held up his hand, "Hey guys, what about it?"

They exchanged a quick glance, and Hugh smiled, "Why the hell not? We're yours to command, Chairman Jule."

Yzak made a face, he hated his council title. He was a man of action, not one that sat in meetings and sipped tea. By bringing out his Supreme Council rank, it insured that he would be inducted fully into the council once the war was over. No more fieldwork.

He would burying himself in endless office duties and paperwork and simply forget.

As they finished their discussion, the last captain in the councilroom was Hugh. He had shared a few of Yzak's classes, and Hugh Benton had worked as a bodygaurd in the ZAFT council building while he was in ZAFT Academy.

"I wasn't kidding." Hugh said, "You look like someone died."

Yzak leaned foreward in the chair, looking away.

"Shit...somone did, didn't they?" he said, "Look, man-"

"I have had people in my own crew die before." Yzak replied, "I've lost friends, lost relatives, even my own father, but none of it was as bad as this..."

Dearka stood in the corner of the room, he sighed and left the room. There was not much for him to do when there was a discussion between two captains. He was an enlisted man, and in the world of the ZAFT military, captains had their own cult with each other. There were rules separate from ZAFT that were independent of any other list of regulations.

Turning down the hallway, he headed into the mess hall and poured a cup of coffee. Dearka had decided a while back that he did not mind being an enlisted man, he had not planned on making ZAFT a life-long career.

He carried the cup of coffee down the hallway, and knocked on a door. It opened and Miriallia looked up at him. She looked pale, there were dark circles under her eyes, and Dearka knew that he had not seen her sleep in days.

"Dearka?"

"Come out of that cave, Miriallia."

"Can't. I have work-"

"I have coffee."

She stared at him and then stepped into the hallway. He still could not get over the fact that she was wearing a ZAFT uniform. Handing her the cup, she grinned widely as she took a sip.

"Have you had a tour of the ship yet?"

"Not exactly." she said, "I haven't been anywhere other then this room, my quarters, and the mess hall."

"Good. I'll take you on one."

"But your duties-"

"I'm off duty." he said, putting his hands in his pockets, "Walk with me."

* * *

Shiho stood on the observation deck on the base, staring at the airfield. Dozens of ships would be launching soon, following the Eternal to their eventual destination. The elevator opened behind her and Ezaria sighed as she laid a hand on the girl's shoulder. 

"Yzak has started calling himself by his council title." Shiho said, "He's going back to work for the council after this."

"He still doesn't know you're alive." Ezaria told her, "He might be doing it because he doesn't think he has any other option."

"I would give almost anything to be on one of those ships right now." Shiho frowned, "I can't stand being here and doing nothing."

"There may be something you can do." the older woman told her, "Come with me, I have a secret to show you."

Shiho followed her down the hallway. She had never been in that part of the base yet. When they reached an old looking, metal door, Ezaria took out her ID card and swiped it through the lock. The doors opened, and Shiho could not help but stare in shock at was what behind the closed door.

She ran out to the railing, leaning over slightly to gaze at the mobile suit that was being housed in the extra bunker. The blue, white, and slight hints of orange around the trims told her what it was.

"I originally intended to have it made for Yzak." Ezaria said, "The Justice and Freedom will not be here to back us up this time, so we needed an extra amount of leverage."

"Leverage?" Shiho stared wide-eyed, "A gundam is more then a little leverage, I think. Besides, this isn't just a gundam, this is the Duel."

It was a re-made version. Slim and quick like it was before, but Shiho could tell it had been customized to carry extra weapons. She was used to handling heavy mobile suits, this one would be simple.

"Are you able to pilot a gundam?" Ezaria asked.

"Yes, but I've never actually had to before now." Shiho frowned, "You mean-"

"Take this with you. Think of it as...an early wedding present."

"Some wedding present." Shiho mumbled.

"Well? What do you think?" Ezaria said, producing a file that she had been carrying with her, "I have a mission here for you to complete that will require the abilities of this mobile suit, but I won't force you to take it."

She could fight in the battle or stay on the base. Either way, fate would catch up with her eventually. Mabye fighting in battle would speed it up a little.

"I'll do it."

* * *

Kira ran down the opposite wall of the hallway, gripping tightly onto Lacus' wrist as he checked the corner. Shinn stood on the other side, looking down the other end of the hall. The house shook once more. 

"Luna and I got a message from Athrun." Shinn said, motioning to them with his head that the hallway was clear, and they ran down the hall, "He told us to stay where we were and to only come foreward if Djibril tried to attack Orb directly. That way if something happened, the Impulse and Destiny could hide in the background. Athrun...sneaky son of a bitch..."

Kira chuckled, Athrun was a military genius, no matter how much he tried to deny it. Sure, Kira was very capable himself, but Athrun had formal training and more experience. Turning his head to the side, Kira distinctly heard an explosion from a buster rifle.

"Damn." Shinn swore, "Luna's stationed outside with the Impulse. They must be pretty desperate if they are alreay attacking her."

"We need to help her!" Lacus chimed in, "She-"

"Lunamaria can take care of herself. I told Zala I would get you two out of here." Shinn said, taking a close watch of the open door that he came in. Satisfied that no one was there, the three of them rushed out to a waiting jeep.

"Where's the Destiny?" Kira called, shoving Lacus into the passenger seat.

"Out of sight." Shinn powered up the engine and drove towards Morgenrate. He suddenly swore loudly, driving the jeep to the side as a mobile suit targeted them and began to fire. They narrowly missed the missle. Reaching into his pocket he drew his cellphone, "Luna! I need a little cover here! Don't worry about the checkpoint, Kira and Lacus Yamato are with me."

As if on cue, the Impulse shot past them, slamming into the offending troops that were running after them. A smirk spread across Shinn's face as he raised a hand, a small grey object in his hand.

"This is for my family, you Cosmos bastards."

He clicked the button and the whole beachline seemed to explode, taking a big chunk of mobile suits with it. Kira looked at Shinn is shock,

"When did you-"

"I'm a Red, Yamato." Shinn smirked, "Formal training, and all that."

Lacus could not help but laugh and Kira shook his head, chuckling to himself, "When this is all over, Asuka, remind me to punch you in the face for that remark."

* * *

Yzak stood on the bridge of the Voltaire, watching as the ships began to enter the radar. More and more ships were answering back every minute, and the small fleet that he was trying to build was getting stronger. When his CIC reported the Eternal, he ordered the officer to send a message out to the ship. Yzak had only worked with Martin DaCosta once before, but back then had not taken any realy noticed into the man's abilities. He normally would wait till later to approach him, but there was not much time. 

"Jule, sir." Martin saluted to him.

"Captain DaCosta, I see that you've made it pretty good name for yourself. Lacus-dono gave you her seat?"

"Only temporarily." Martin smiled, "I'm keeping it for her."

"I see." he said, "How many ships do you bring?"

"Thirty."

Thirty was a good amount. Blue Cosmos was already surfacing an attack squadron to hunt Yzak and his army down, he had too move fast if he wanted to win this war.

"Check in with Captain Benton. He will oversee the division of the firepower."

"Right away, oh, and Ezaria-sama told me to give you a message." he said, "She says to knock 'em dead."

Yzak chuckled, "Thanks."

Martin nodded and the com link blinked out. Yzak was about to open his mouth to shout a few orders when the CIC called him,

"Sir, there's a broadcast from PLANT."

* * *

Djibril stood on the stage, ready to give a speech at the podium. He was going to officially declare an attack on the rebels and Orb. Sue stood off to the side, glaring at him as the cameras turned on and he began to speak. 

"...I will not stand by and let these barbarric, rebel traidors threaten our way of life..."

She turned away and headed down the hallway. There was only so much a person could stomach. She was tired of having to stand there and listen to that bastard.

Pulling out her ID card, she swiped it through the lock. The gaurd on the other side looked at her reluctantly, "Excuse me, miss, but you are not permitted to-"

Sue promptly whacked him over the head, hearing a loud thunk as he hit the floor. Leaning over she pulled the gun from his waist and headed down towards the brig. She only had a small window before the gaurds caught on. Swiping her card one more time, she marched down a dark hallway to her brother's cell.

"Susiette?" he murmured.

"Remi." she held the gun to the lock a fired a few times before she yanked it open. He stared at her in shock as she grabbed his arm and hauled him to his feet.

"What are you-"

They did not have much time to do everything she had planned. Ignoring her brother's complaints, she dragged his arm over her shoulder and pulled him down the hallway. There was only one way she could think of to save Orb from Blue Cosmos, and only one way to get redemption for what her and her brother did.

"Come on, let's go."

"Where?" he said groaning slightly as he steadied himself.

"To Orb."

* * *

_The next chapter will be out soon. Thank you for your patience.  
_

_Arigato _

_Lilith_


	20. Chapter 20

_I'm really close to finishing the story. I'll miss it when it over. Make sure to check out my profile for the summary of "Owari section 2.0".  
_

_I hope you enjoy the chapter!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Seed Destiny_

* * *

_T_here were already distant battles appearing when the jeep pulled up into Morgenrate. Lunamaria had headed off in the Impulse to defend the main shore, but Kira knew that as skilled as she was, she would not be able to take on the whole of the Cosmos strike force herself.

They rushed up the stairs to the control tower. Cagali was already standing in the front of the room, her arms crossed, looking grimly at the display screens in front of her.

"Where's Athrun?" Kira looked at her.

Cagali sighed saddly, "He's left already, he should be reaching the coast soon."

"Then I'll go with."

"Kira!" Lacus looked at him in shock.

"Athrun is just defending his home, Lacus. I need to do the same. Asuka-" he smirked, "-do you think you can keep up?"

"Screw that. You'll eat my dust, old man."

Kira chuckled, and the two young men left the room through the door. Cagali sighed, "It seems that no matter what happens, they are always willing to jump at the chance to shoulder the whole burden."

Lacus smiled, "That's the way they are."

* * *

Michael sat at the console on the Eternal's bridge. DaCoasta was heading towards Aprilius with the a few other ships. They were planning on a direct assult of the main PLANT Council Hall, where Djibril resided. It would be the quickest way to stop the war, and they did not have any other hope to get Djibril to surrender. At the point they were at, everyone had forgone the negotiations all together.

There was a fight breaking out where they had just departed. Benton's fleet, the fleet heading to Aprilius, had their own mission and he was refusing all requests from the other ships to return to the checkpoint and give help to the Voltaire. The main battle had begun there, and Yzak's fleet was beginning to be overpowered, but was still maintaining strength.

"Jule knows what he is doing. He was the only one to ever top me at the Academy, I trust his judgement." Benton told Martin over the line.

"What about the others?" Martin asked.

"Noh is at Lunarius attempting to break the Cosmos hold on the moon base, Sable is stationed near Ezaria-sama's base on Sextillius, and Yune is heading to Orb. Everyone has their own plan, and we need to stick to it."

"Yes sir." DaCoasta sighed.

"Our job is to go to the root of the problem. We need to leave as many soldier as possible at the front, so only send five to the Council Hall."

"What?" Martin gasped, "But-"

"Five of our best. That should be enough to get through. Most of Djibril's forces are in Orb at the moment, and the remaining troops are fighting Jule. That's plenty of distraction. Hurry and put together a few people, and report back to me."

"Aye sir."

The link blinked out, and Martin's gaze swept the room.

"Lothaire, Yukishiro, Rhinner, come with me."

They nodded and followed him to the elevator.

* * *

Djibril stood in press hall. He stared at the podium and the stadium seats that stretched multiple rows back. Behind him was a huge glass window, and he could see the battles beginning to pop up in the distance. A sneer spread across his face, he still had an ace up his sleeve. Something that no one would ever be able to fight against.

"Sir!"

One of the gaurds burst into the room. Djibril made a face, "What?"

"The prisonar is gone, and Susiette Fredericksen is missing as well."

He gasped, "What do you mean missing?"

"She's gone, sir. As well as a shuttle from the hanger. The main computer system was accessed before the shuttle disappeared."

Djibril cursed, "Find that shuttle and destroy it. Our victory rides on that information she has."

"Yes sir, any other orders?"

He turned back to the window, he was on edge now. If Fredericksen and his sister managed to get that information to Orb, they would lose the war.

"Gaurd?"

"Sir?" he said.

Djibril smirked, he would just have to get them before they figured it out.

"Prepare our main weapon for the counterattack."

* * *

Shiho turned to Ezaria, dressed in a flightsuit. She slipped her gloves on over her hands, and smiled at the older woman.

"Thank you for everything you've done for me." Shiho told her, "I pray for your safety."

"You're the one that needs the prayers." Ezaria smiled, "Tell my son to keep safe when you see him, and that when this is all over, I expect the two of you to come stay at the estate for at least a week. We have a lot of stories to tell, and you and I have a wedding to shop for. No doubt that your mother will want to come with."

"No doubt." Shiho nodded.

Ezaria leaned foreward and hugged her, "Keep safe, daughter. Good hunting."

"You too."

She stepped into the Duel, feeling the controls under her hands as the cockpit door closed.

This was Yzak's mobile suit. It was the same exact operating system, the same set-up, same controls...and it was more amazing then anything she could ever think of. It was almost like he was in the suit with her.

The CIC came online, it was Meyrin.

"Good luck, captain." Meyrin smiled, "You're cleared for launch."

"Thank you." she said, "Shiho Hahnenfuss, Duel."

She watched the lights on the screen, telling her that she was clear.

"Launch."

It was quick, quicker then the Deep Arms. At first it threw her off, but she quickly gained the feel of the Duel, and headed off in the direction of the Voltaire. From her readings, they were fighting to keep the Cosmos fleet from getting too close to Earth, and they needed help.

She sliced threw the first mobile suit that came at her, but there was not enough time to be cautious. The Voltaire was not too far away, and from what she could see, it was in a one on one fight with a Cosmos battleship.

_Hold on, Yzak, I'm coming._

* * *

Yzak held onto the chair as the blast hit the ship. There was yelling and orders being shouted all around him as he told them to return fire. The ship they were fighting was the same one that destroyed the Coursica, so they had to beat it.

Whoever the captain was, he was a smart son of a bitch.

There was a fire that started somewhere on the bridge, and one of the officers got up to put it out. His engineer was already sending him notices that the engines were damaged, and the weapon systems were about half capacity.

"Damn." Yzak murmured to himself, _how where they going to get out of this?_

Then, in the back of his mind like an afterthought, he heard an explosion. It shook the bridge, and the lights went dark. Emergancy lights kicked on, and Yzak waited a moment for his eyes to adjust.

"Report!" he felt something wet on his head, and realized that gash on his head had reopened. There was blood trailing down one half of his face. It mixed with his silver hair, causing some of it to stick to his face.

"Number four engine exploded, sir." the CIC replied, "We are on emergancy systems."

"Weapons?"

"None sir."

"Sheilds?"

"15 percent capacity."

Yzak let out a shaky breath. So this was the situation Shiho found herself in? How did she feel before the ship was destroyed? Did she feel as afraid as he did now, and put on a strong face for everyone? They had already evacuated all the extra personal on the other ships heading towards his mother's base, but that didn't mean his men weren't important. He valued them just as much, and didn't want them to face death either.

"Evacuation." he murmured, then turned to his CIC, "Order the evcuation of the officers-"

"With all due respect, sir." a voice cut in from the helm. Bjorkland stood up, looking almost as frazzled as Yzak was. From what Yzak remembered, Bjorkland had a family of his own on PLANT that he had been separated from due to the war. He had not seen his wife or daughter since a few years after the Requiem War started.

Yzak shook his head, "Commander-"

"We're staying with you, sir." he said, "We've come this far with you, and I know I speak for the rest of the crew when I say..." Thomas Bjorkland looked at the rest of the bridgecrew, they all chuckled and smiled back, "Let's kick their asses, sir."

Yzak gapped at him, and then a smile spread across his face, "Thanks, Tom."

Bjorkland laughed, and resumed his station.

Yzak glared at the ship in front of them. The bridge rocked as another round of missiles hit the Voltaire. The Voltaire...his precious ship...it looked like he was going to go down fighting in the end. For some reason, he had always pegged himself as one of those people that ended up living when everyone else died.

_Looks like you beat me in the end, Zala._

"Mr. Mitsuru!" he called to the helmsman, "Bring the ship to ramming speed."

* * *

Dearka paused long enough to read the message on his message board telling him to clear the area. He turned the GINN around, seeing the Voltaire beginning to build up speed towards the Cosmos cruiser. Dodging a round from an attacking mobile suit, he gasped. Turning his suit towards the Voltaire, he shot towards it. Maybe if he could deflect some of the blasts, maybe if he could distract the enemy ship-

He yelped as something brushed past him.

It was like some sort of blue angel, he only saw it for a split second. The energy caused by it's quick movement made his GINN rock.

"What the hell-"

The blue blur weaved it way through the battlefield, easily missing missiles and mobile suits alike, on a direct course towards the Voltaire. Dearka watched as the attacking cruiser fired it's cannon straight at the Voltaire. If it hit the Voltaire where he thought it was going to-

He slammed his fist on the console,

"YZAK!"

* * *

Grein looked around at the state of his bridge. This was an outrage. His ship was in shambles and it was all because of some bastard kid that had at least half as much experience as Grein did.

"The Voltaire!" he heared one of his officers call out, "It's on a direct course for us!"

"What?"

His CIC was frantically running an analysis, "They've set ramming speed. At the speed they will gain by the time they reach us, they will be able to destroy-"

"Arm the main cannon!" Grein yelled.

"But sir, the cannon is not fully operative!" the weapons officer called back.

Grien smirked.

"I don't care if its fully operative or not. We only need one shot for this."

* * *

"The main guns are firing!" the Voltaire's CIC yelled, "They're aiming right for the bridge!"

Yzak gritted his teeth, the Cosmos captain would be able to destroy almost the entire ship if he targeted the bridge. It was the balance point of the ship, all systems were connected to it.

There was a muffled noise as the cannon fired, like it was being blown under water. Yzak's face fadded slightly, ignoring all the calls from his staff. He stood up from his chair, staring at the beam of light that began to illuminate the screen. They would be killed, all of them.

_Shiho..._

He closed his eyes as the blast reached them.

* * *

"Move troops to the western ridge!" Cagali called over the headset to Kisaka, who had headed out in one of the destroyers. There was a Nazca Class ship right off the shore, and dozens of sea attack ships that were surrounding her country. They were going to be destroyed by Blue Cosmos.

The compound shook. The blasts were getting closer.

She stared back at the viewscreen, and watched the Justice dart on the edge of her vision. The Freedom was not too far behind, the Impulse was sticking close to the main city, and the Destiny was working its way through the ocean cruisers in front of the main captial. Orb troops were acting all around the island. If she was not so scared out of her wits, she would have been moved by everyone's cooperation.

Morgenrate was preparing to launch the Archangel, and Murrue Ramius was waiting on the other line. She had sent a message weeks ago, answering Lacus Clyne's plea to help in the cause. But as the way things were going, they did not even have time to launch.

"Ma'am!" one of the Orb officers called, "There are multiple signatures approaching Orb! It's about the size of an attack fleet."

She bit her lip to keep from screaming out.

More Cosmos support troops.

"Send a message to Shinn! Tell him to fall back to Orb. We need to regroup-"

"Wait!" the same soldier called out.

There was a sudden silence on the bridge, he seemed to be listening to something on his set. A confused look follow by a grin spread across his face,

"There's a message for you ma'am."

"Put in on." Cagali turned back to the main screen.

A face came on the screen. The woman was smiling brightly at her, dressed in a white ZAFT uniform. She was a little older then Cagali herself, but she giggled like a teenager.

"I was worried I wouldn't make it in time, Hime-sama."

Cagali gapped at her, "Who-"

"I am Captain Rayena Yune of ZAFT. Chairman Yzak Jule has sent me to defend your country. Please except our assistence."

The blond-haired woman almost burst into tears. She would have to hug Yzak for this.

"Of course."

Rayena nodded, "Understood. We are awaiting your orders, ma'am."

"We?"

Cagali watched as shipa began to desend from the clouds like snow, and they were all ships coming to save her country. There were dozens of ships, and almost immediatly, they returned fire. Rayena stared at her from the other side of the screen with a thoughtful look on her face.

Cagali smiled,

"Do as you will, Captain Yune. My home is your home."

Yune smiled brightly back to her, "Thank you, Cagali-sama."

* * *

Michael pulled the zipper up his flightsuit. They were going to sneak directly into the compound. He caulked his gun back and stuck it in it's holster. Lothaire, Yukishiro, himself, and a few other officers managed to sneak into Apirilius in a shuttle without being caught.

That was the easy part.

"Is everyone ready?" Lothaire looked at them. When everyone nodded, the door to the shuttle opened and they instantly fanned out. One of the officers split off towards the war room, he was going to be taking command from there. The second officer was going towards the control tower, he was suppose to take over that part of the base to hault all departing ships.

Michael followed Lothaire and Yukishiro into the main building. What they were going to do was clearly a suicide mission if even the slightest thing went wrong. As they made their way down the hallway, Lothaire caught sight of a slightly open door. They stopped next to it, and he began to count to three on his fingers.

One three, he yanked the door open.

It was the stadium hall that the speeches and press conferences were held in. The lights were off, so they made the way down the hallway in darkness. Michael raised his gun in front of him, ready to notice the first sign of movement.

"Well, well...all so serious, aren't we?"

They all froze as the lights flooded the room. Djibril stood on the stage, a small, grey object in his hand.

"Michael." he said, "I was wondering when I'd see you again. It was very rude of you to run away like that. It took an ungodly amount of time to retrain someone for your job."

Michael frowned, lowering his gun. There was not a single soul in that auditorium other then himself, the Coursica soldiers, and Djibril.

"I'm sorry if my departure inconvienced you." he glared at Djibril, "But I think I was wearing out my welcome."

"Nonsense, boy. You were an excellent lackey."

Michael gritted his teeth.

Lothaire aimed straight for Djibril, "Drop whatever weapons you have and hold your hands up. Although I have a good pension to shoot you right now."

"Such barbarric words."

"Barbarric and in a bad mood." Amon replied, "Put 'em up."

Djibril chuckled, "No."

Amon frowned, "What?"

"You three will put your weapons down, though."

"And why would we do that?" Maria asked, her gun trained right on Djibril's forehead.

"Because-" he said, "-this little device in my hand is a remote, you see, and if you don't put down your weapons I will be forced to press it."

_Remote?..._ Michael frowned, ..._what was he-_

"Well then, why don't you toss it to me then and maybe talk this out like civilized people?" Amon asked.

Djibril frowned, "Don't you dare begin to lump me into the same category as you Coordinator bastards."

Michael stared at the grey device, and suddenly the idea hit him. He felt the blood drain from his face.

"Lothaire," he said, dropping his gun, "We should do what he says."

"The fuck I will!" Lothaire snapped.

A voice came in very loudly on the transmitter clipped to Lothaire's shoulder.

"_Leutinant Lothare_!" a voice called. It was the solider that went to the science wing.

"Here." Lothaire responded.

"_Sir...I..._"

"Well, what is it?"

"_I've run the scan dozens of times." _he replied, _"The Requiem...it's locked onto Earth. I can't block the system! It's set on a remote sequence and all outside commands have been locked down. I can't do anything, sir!_"

Lothaire's eyes grew wide as Djibril raised his hands, his finger brushing over the ignition button.

"As I said before." Djibril sneered, "I think you need to put your weapons down." his grip tightened slightly, "Or I'll blow Earth to hell."

* * *

_Before I wrote this chapter, I was watching the new Superman movie. God, that movie is awesome._

_::yawn:: ...editing sucks...2 am...need sleep_

_I'll revise it later._

_Review and tell me what you think._

_Arigato_

_Lilith_


	21. Chapter 21

_Here is the second to last chapter. I hope you like it. Leave me a review and tell me what you think._

_I'm still looking around for people who are willing to beta my Owari story. After this story is over, I would like some help going over Owari v.2. If you are interested, send me a message._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Seed Destiny_

* * *

There was a muffled noise as the cannon fired, like it was being blown under water. Yzak's face fadded slightly, ignoring all the calls from his staff. He stood up from his chair, staring at the beam of light that began to illuminate the screen. They would be killed, all of them.

_Shiho..._

He closed his eyes as the blast reached them.

A blue and white blur streaked across the viewscreen. Holding up a sheild, it deflected the blast from the other ship. Yzak opened his eyes, hearing the initial contact. The beam was split down the middle by the gundam's sheild. Yzak stumbled foreward, trying to steady himself as the blast passed by the Voltaire.

They were alive.

A strange silence past over the bridge as the mobile suit that had just saved them came into view. It was blue, white, and striped with orange-yellow color on a few of the edges. The other members of the bridgecrew might not have recognized it right away, but Yzak did.

"The Duel."

* * *

Shiho gritted her teeth, glancing backwards at the Voltaire. It was not in any danger of explosion, but it would not last much longer if it continued to battle Grein and his ship. Captain Grein hailed her, and his disheveled face came up on her viewscreen. Seeing who she was, she took in a feeling of satisfaction as the color drained from his face.

"You're sheilds are almost completely gone, captain." she said, "I warned you not to screw with me."

"Hahnenfuss!" he yelled, "I destroyed your ship! You're dead!"

She frowned, "I've come back from hell to pay you for that favor."

He ground his teeth together, "I'll kill you. You and the rest of your damn race in the name of Djibril-sama and Blue Cosmos!"

"You fight with your principles and as a captain myself I admired that, even though they are sick and twisted." she said, "You may fight for your reasons, but I will not stand back and let you destroy my fiance's ship."

"Fiance-" he stopped, and the he burst out laughing. "That's rich! Djibril-sama knew that Jule was engaged. Who'd ever suspect that it was to Captain Shiho Hahnenfuss herself?"

Drawing the double beam sabers, she activated them.

"That last one was for Yzak." she said, "This one is for myself."

The Duel shot towards the Cosmos ship, and with one swoop, she used a saber to slice through the bridge of the ship. It exploded behind her as she flew across the length of the ship, using her second sword to slice through the engines. Clearing the way, the entire ship was engulfed in smoke and flames as it exploded.

As the bright lights from the debris of the ship fadded in her field of vision, she turned back to the Voltaire. There was not much time left until the enemy troops would call for further reinforcements. She needed to regroup the remaining allies and launch an organized attack. Although the whole fleet was a little worse for wear, without Grein's ship, they had gained the upper hand.

There was a beep on her system as she was hailed. It was the Voltaire.

She sucked in a breath of air, and pressed the switch with shaking hands.

* * *

"Hail the Duel." Yzak told his CIC, not bothering to sit down his chair. The CIC nodded, and began to work through the damaged communication system. They had all watched as the gundam destroyed the Naszca Class warship. Everyone was well aware that not just any mobile suit could destroy a whole starship by itself, so any doubts of whether it was the Duel or not, were gone. Yzak suspected that it came from his mother's base, and that she originally intended it to be made for him. Whoever was piloting it was skilled, but it was his gundam and he felt strange not knowing who it was inside his old suit.

"I have the pilot on the line, sir." the CIC reported.

"Put them on screen."

Yzak stared at the figure that came up on screen. Catching the rank bars on the pilot's flightsuit, he was not surprised to find that the pilot was ranked captain.

Yzak smirked, "You saved our asses, captain."

There was a pause as they waited for the person to respond.

"All fair in love and war, Jule. I owed them a debt of revenge myself." she said, it was a woman in the gundam's cockpit.

That voice. _No way..._

"I'm going to assume command of the squadrons." she said.

With that the screen blinked out. Yzak's heart had stopped, and he stumbled backwards, falling into his chair.

"Get her back on." he said, his voice had dropped a few octaves.

"I can't, sir." the CIC said, "She's blocking me. She taking control of the troops though."

They were going to win the battle now. The enemy's flag ship had been destroyed, so now all Yzak had to do was sit and watch, not that the Voltaire could do anything else. His mind was racing with thoughts. In his head he knew that woman pilot was familiar, but it could not be Shiho. He had seen her ship destroyed with his own eyes, and they had not been able to recover any of the escape shuttles.

He would sit and wait for the battle to be over to make sure.

* * *

Cagali stood on Orb's beach, looking at the ruins of the ships in the distance, and the smoke rising from around the edges of the island. They had managed to keep the battle contained, there were only a few casualities in the main city blocks. Prisonars were being escorted to Carpentaria to be held. The brig system there was much larger, and would give them more time to keep the Cosmos soldiers there while deciding what to do with them.

"You look so deep in thought, Cagali-sama."

Rayena Yuna smiled, walking in her direction. Cagali bowed slightly,

"Thank you for your help. We would have been in a lot of trouble."

"It was really no trouble. Besides its Captain Jule that you should thank, he's the one that's been kicking butts in space to try and win this war."

Cagali drew in a deep breath of the air, she missed the ocean. Other then the desert, she felt the most at home at sea. Her father had always teased her about being so environmentally flexible when she was younger and in training. She was never the sort to go to balls in frilly dresses.

The remaining Cosmos ships were being escorted to the base by the Archangel and a mutltitude of other ships from ZAFT, Orb, and other allied forces. Looking towards the gundams a fair distance down the beach, Yune laughed,

"They are too skilled for their own good. How is it that four gundams manage to protect a place like this?"

"They fight with their souls. Good pilots always do." Cagali said, watching the cockpit door to the Justice open, and Athrun jumped down. He began chatting with Kira, Shinn, and Lunamaria. Kira said something, Shinn made a face, and they all burst out laughing. She turned to Rayena, "Excuse me."

Runing down the dune on the beach, she waved her arms towards her friends. Athrun noticed her first, breaking away from the others, he swept her up in his arms.

"Hey soldier." she smiled, looking up at him from his arms.

"Hey princess." his forehead touched hers, "Saved by luck again, huh?"

"I guess so." she laughed, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It takes more then impossible odds, an overwhelming number of enemy ships, and dire straights to hurt me."

Cagali burst out laughing again, wrapping her arms around his neck. She loved this man more then life itself. He leaned over and kissed her, pulling her tighter into his arms. They were completely oblivious to the onlooking of others till Lunamaria shouted at them.

"Hey you two! Get a room!"

Cagali blushed instantly, and Athrun turned around to stick his tongue out at them.

"Oh, that's mature, Zala." Shinn made a face.

Athrun set her down and pulled her along as they headed over to talk to the others. There was still a lot that needed to be done, and Cagali knew that she would be spending a long time working on the reconstruction of Orb...again. But at the moment, all they wanted to do was celebrate that everyone was okay and alive, and she did not have any qualms with that.

Over in the distance, they heard a roar. Kira noticed it first, turning his head towards the north, and he saw a ship sailing towards them. He gasped,

"EVERYONE DUCK!"

The ship slammed into the beach before anyone could stop it. Sand, rock, and debris blew in every direction. Cagali found herself yanked to the ground, and Athrun threw himself over her. When the air settled, they all looked as Orb gaurds and other personal headed in their direction. Cagali frowned, _what was going on?_

"That's a Cosmos ship." Shinn said, pulling Luna with him as he stood.

They all jumped as the door to the ship began to open. Soldiers surrounded them, follow by Captain Yune, all their guns were pointed directly on the ship. There was a moment of silence as the ramp to the small shuttle hit the ground with a loud thunk. The ship was covered in scorch marks and blast marrs, and it looked like it had come a long way.

Cagali stepped in front of Athrun, ignoring a sound of protest that he made.

"Whoever you are, come out now."

There was another long paused, and then a distinct noise of footsteps. From the dark inside of the ship, two figures showed up. The girl, Cagali did not recognize, but she had someone slung on her shoulder, a tall man. Both of them looked frazzled, and then man she carried was covered with injuries. That was not the first thing Cagali recognized, however.

The girl wore a ZAFT uniform and the man wore an Orb uniform.

"Please!" the girl called, she had a thick french accent, "Please, help us!"

Cagali ordered the gaurds to lower their guns, and called for the medic. The two strangers sunk to the ground and Cagali and Athrun reached them. Athrun instantly recognized the man that now lay in the new girl's lap.

"That's Commander Remi Fredericksen of the Coursica." he said.

"What?" Cagali looked at him, recognizing him despite his battered face.

"My name is Suisette, and this is my brother. Please, you must listen to me!" Sue grabbed on the edge of Cagali's sleeve, "It's very important!"

"What is it?" Cagali said, "It's okay, now. You two will be safe here."

"No! None of us are safe! We must contact Ezaria-sama and the others and warn them!"

"Warn them of what?" Cagali asked, kneeling down next to Sue.

"The Requiem. Djibril has the Requiem aimed at Earth!" she said, reaching into her uniform pocket and taking out a disk. She thrust it into Cagali's hands, "Please. Please warn them. If we do not act quickly then it will be too late."

Cagali's blood ran cold the moment Sue told her about the Requiem. She stared at the disk in her hand and turned to Kira and Athrun. Athrun was already in action, shouting orders to the others, and Kira promptly took the disk from Cagali and headed towards Morgenrate.

"Cagali-sama." Rayena approched her.

"Send a message to the Voltaire." she said, "I don't care who does it or how it happens, just do it. Everyone's lives depend on it."

* * *

Yzak sat on the bridge, watching the battle die down. He was receiving confirmation from the allied troops of where battles were ending.

"What's the situation?" he asked, almost as an afterthought.

"We've completely taken control of the field." Bjorkland answered, "Most of the fighting has died down, and the other captains are reporting back confirmation of surrenders of the Cosmos fleet. As for the Voltaire, the fires around the engine room have been put out, and workers are trying to repair out main systems as well as then engines."

"Put priority on the systems. There's nothing left to really do now except wait for reports to come in." he said, "Send a message to bring back our squadrons so we can take scope of the damage and repair what we have."

"Yes sir."

He turned to the CIC, getting out of his seat and half-levitating, half-walking towards the elevator. He was too dizzy and exhausted to do one or the other. "Order the pilot of the Duel to return here as well."

"But sir-" he started, and stopped as he saw the pale, tired face of his captain. Yzak looked like he was going to drop where he stood. His face was still covered with blood and there were dark circles under his eyes. The hours without sleep, the battlle, as well as the physical and emtional fight he had been raging over the last week and half was tearing at him. Nodding, the CIC turned back to his console, "She says that she is on her way."

"Bjorkland, take command. Send the injured to the infirmary, and get a formal damage report." he stepped in the elevator. Once the door shut, he let out a sigh, leaning into the wall. He could barely stand. What he really needed was a few hours of sleep, a trip to the doctor, a cup of coffee, and a couple asprin but there was one other pressing matter that he needed to attend to first.

When the elevator opened on the correct floor, he ran down the hallway as fast as he could.

* * *

Dearka jumped out of his GINN, yanking off his helmet as he and the other squads watched the Duel land in the mobile suit hanger. It was a magnificant machine, and judging by what he had seen, it was not even the tip of the iceberg. When the suit powered down, the cockpit opened, and a woman pilot stepped out.

_A woman?_, Dearka's eyebrows went up. There were not many women pilots that were skilled enough to operate a gundam. He could count the ones he knew on his hands, one of them being Shiho. But he knew that it could not be her, Shiho was supposed to be dead.

Lowering herself out of the cockpit, she walked up to Dearka. He reached out a hand and shook hers.

"You're quite skilled." he said, "Thanks for the help. Take off your helmet at least, I think all of us want to know what our savior looks like."

She reached up to take her helmet off. As she did this, Dearka noticed the bay door open, and Yzak came in. He was breathing like he had just been running a marathon, and Dearka was surprised that Yzak could even stand at all, noticing how terrible the Voltaire captain looked.

Yzak's breath stopped, his blue eyes fixed on the pilot in front of them.

She pulled off her helmet, her long brown hair falling freely around her shoulders. Not binding it together like she usually did when she left the base, it drapped around her shoulders and her back. Dearka's mouth dropped open when her violet eyes opened, and she grinned at him.

"What's wrong, Dearka?" Shiho asked, "Never seen a dead person before?"

He opened his mouth to say something, and then his eyes fell on Yzak. Seeing that Dearka was staring behind her, Shiho turned around, her hands gripping tighter on the flight helmet in her hands. Yzak was staring at her, his wide eyes fadded a second to a different look that she had never seen before.

There were tears in his eyes.

Shaking his head violently, pulling together all the rest of the energy he had, he ran towards her.

Flinging her helmet aside, she ran at him. She did not care that the entire crew was watching them, or that they would probably loose their jobs, or be thrown in prison...she just did not care anymore.

Yzak through his arms around her, crushing her into his chest. She started to cry herself, burying her face into his uniform. He was so tired he could barely stand, she could feel him shaking as he held her. Biting his own lip to keep himself from crying with her, he turned her face in his hands, looking into her eyes.

It _was_ her.

"Yzak-"

His mouth closed over her lips, his hands digging in her hair. He had to make sure that was real, not just some hallucination brought on by his head injury. When he felt her kiss him back, her arms moving to wrap around his neck, he suddenly decided that he did not care if it was a mind trick or not. At least he could see her again.

"Yzak." she murmured into his lips, "I told you back then...don't you remember?"

His eyes stared at her as she smeared the tears out of his eyes, trying to brush some of the hair out of his face that was sticking to the blood from his head wound.

Shiho touched her forehead to his, "I'd never leave you. I promised I never would."

A smile spread across his face, and he suddenly felt like it was okay to let go of everything. Shiho gasped as his legs gave out, and he collapsed into her arms. Unable to compensate for the sudden dead wait, she cradeled him in her arms, sinking to the floor herself. Suddenly taking in the full extend of his appearence, an alarmed look filled her eyes as people rushed to their aid.

"Yzak!" she shook him. His forehead was warm, and only god knew what other things he had wrong with him, "Someone take him to the infirmary!"

His head rest against her shoulder, a soft smile still touching the corners of his mouth.

* * *

Yzak's eyes cracked open slightly, and he stared dazed at the ceiling. Had he really seen her, or had it been a dream-

Shiho's face came into his field of vision. _No, it had not been a dream._

"Shiho?"

"You dummy." she said, "You need to sleep and eat to survive! You can't just and live off coffee for weeks. The doctor says that you have a fever, anemia, a concussion that you somehow managed to-"

She yelped as he grabbed her arms and pulled her into the bed with him. Despite his weakened state, he was still strong. Before she could open her mouth to berate him for exerting himself, he kissed her.

"I just had to make sure you were real." he said, kissing her again, and then rest his cheek on her forehead, "That you just weren't some...trick."

"I'm real enough." she smiled.

"I saw...oh gods..." he laid a hand on her face, "I would give up everything not to have seen your ship destroyed. I-I...I thought..." he did not finish the sentence, "Where have you been? What are you doing with my old gundam? What has-"

"Woah." she smiled, brushing her fingers over his lips, "Only one question at a time. I survived the explosion, I'll tell you about that later. As for where I've been, I was with your mother. She had me hidden on her base to keep away from Blue Cosmos. The Duel was orignally supposed to be for you, but she gave it to me instead. She said was a wedding present."

He snorted, "Some wedding present."

"That's what I said." she said, still brushing her hand over his face, "Don't worry, we'll have plently of time later to talk about it. I don't really want to think about it now. You're exhausted and you need sleep."

"Will you stay with me?" he asked. His arms closing around her.

"Sure." she said, leaning back into the pillows.

* * *

She threaded her fingers through his white hair, listening to him breath deeply when a com link sounded in the back of her mind. She pressed the button on the monitor next to her head.

"Yes?"

There was a pause, "Hahnenfuss?" it was Bjorkland.

She smiled, "Hello, commander. Long time no see."

There was silence, and then he laughed, "No kidding. Say, there's an urgent message from Orb."

"Captain Jule is in no condition to come to the bridge. I'll be right there." she said, sliding out of his arms . His eyes fluttered open, only to have his lips kissed, "Go back to sleep, love. I'll be back."

Yzak nodded and fell back asleep.

Shiho marched down the hallway, dressed in a captain's uniform. It felt good to have it on again. When she walked on the bridge, she was greet with smiles, cheers, and whistles.

"It's damn good to see you, ma'am." Bjorkland shook her hand, "Promotion?"

"Long story." she smiled, "What's the problem?"

"We got a message from Orb. It's Cagali-sama." he said.

Looking at Yzak's captain chair, she smiled to herself, but turned to the CIC instead, "Pull it on the main screen."

Cagali's face come on the viewer, and she gasped.

"Shiho-san?" Cagali stared at her, her face white as a ghost.

"It seems I couldn't stay dead." Shiho told her, "What's wrong?"

Cagali shook her head, her expression returning to that of desperate concern, "We have a problem. How much time until the Voltaire is repaired?"

"A while. We'll have full power in 4 hours, but we only have 3 out of 4 operational engines."

"You need to alert troops in space and the rest of the allies." Cagali said, "It's about Djibril."

Shiho frowned, "What is it?"

"Requiem." Cagali told her, "The Requiem is aimed on Earth."

* * *

_There is one more chapter and an epilogue after this, they will probably be up at the end of the week. I've already started working on the next story, and the first chapters of that will be up next week. Finals are going well, and I ended up doing better in one class then I thought I was going to, so I'm happy. I have a bit of a cold this week, so if there is a delayed update, it's just because I've been sleeping more then anything lately._

_Yay...sleep..._

_I hope you liked the chapter! Leave a review and tell me what you think!_

_Arigato_

_Lilith_


	22. Chapter 22

_Merry Christmas everyone! Here is the chapter. I hope you like it :D_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Seed Destiny _

* * *

Amon stared at Djibril in horror as he set down his rifle. There was no time to play coy with this maniac, not if he wanted the deaths of billions on his conscience. Looking over at Maria, she was staring at him in shock, not knowing what to do. 

"What do you want?" Amon asked him.

"Anything?" Djibril asked him.

"Anything."

"I want all Coordinators to give up and submit." Amon glared at him. Djibril chuckled, "You said anything, Mr. Lothaire."

"Can't we make a deal?" Michael cut in, "Can't we have a truce? We will cease fire if your soldiers cease fire? Then no more people will die needlessly."

"Rhinner!" Amon gapped at the boy's ordasity to simply make up suggestions of such magnitude without consulting their superiors.

"Of course not." Djibril interjected, "Why would I care about more meaningless Coordinantors that are killed. That means nothing to me."

"Even if you loose your own forces?"

"An unfortunate oversight, but they can always be replaced."

Michael gritted his teeth, "Listen to yourself! This is not machines and ships we are talking about! These are people's lives! Those people out there are only fighting because we are telling them to, it's not their fault! They don't want to be here, I don't even want to be here!"

_Then why don't I run away?_

Michael stared at Djibril, and then took a step forward.

"I suggest you stay back, Michael." Djibril told him, "Although I rather liked you as a secretary, I won't hesitate to put you out of your misery either."

Michael glared at him, "I asked myself so many times why I became your hired help. It was an insult to my family's memory, running around for the man that indirectly caused their deaths. At the beginning, when I was growing up and my mother told me she was going into the military, I was upset. Upset because she would leave me. Father, brother...they all left too. When I went into ZAFT and heard they were all killed in that horrible battle I told myself that I would never seek revenge. But in truth, I didn't deserve to seek revenge on you because of all the lives that my father, mother, and brother took while they were alive."

He walked towards Djibril, who took a pistol and pointed it at the young man's forehead.

"Come closer and I will kill you as well as destroy the whole planet."

Michael stared at him, narrowing his eyes, "I will not allow you to harm my people or the Earth."

"Oh, and what authority is that coming from, hm?" Djibril said, "The last time I checked, you were a PLANT fugitive on the run from me. Is the rebel's life a little too much for you to, Michael?"

"My name isn't Michael Rhinner." he said, "I am Kenji Dullindal, the Chairman of PLANT, and I am ordering you to stand down."

* * *

Kira's hands flew over the keys. 

"Damn, Yamato, where'd you learn to type like that?" Lunamaria asked him.

"Don't ask." Athrun sighed, "It's just his thing."

The rapid movement of his eyes took in the screens faster then those around him. By the time he finished going throw the data of the entire disk, he had already begun to devise a solution in his head. Hearing the door open, Cagali came in,

"I contacted the Voltaire. They are getting in contact with the others and moving them to investigate the Requiem. They believe they may be able to-"

"They need to destroy the primary mirror." Kira interrupted.

They all gazed at him as he began to type and speak at once.

"The primary mirror is the first base of which to direct the light. Even though the overall weapon will not be deactivated, at this angle, all blasts will be directed into space away from Earth and PLANT. That will render it inoperative and give us plenty of time to destroy the main structure." he said, "All we need to do is devise a plan of attack, and send one or two squads over to destroy the main mirror."

Every gapped at him. Shinn made a face,

"You're a nerd, Yamato."

"Shut up, Asuka."

Cagali glared at both of them, "I'll send orders to the fleet in space right away. Captain Hahnenfuss will carry them out."

"Hahnefuss?" Athrun gasped, "But-"

"Shiho-san is alive. She's taking control of the Voltaire because Yzak-san is unable to take command. She mentioned something about no sleep and too much coffee."

Athrun chuckled, _that sounds like Yzak. _

"We can we do for now, Cagali-sama?" Luna asked, "Is there anything we can do?"

Cagali sighed, "Unfortunately, no. The Mass Driver was damaged in the attack, and all surface to space traffic has been halted due to the threat. All we can do here is wait and pray that the people in space know what they're doing."

* * *

Everyone in the room stared at Michael. 

"What did he say?" Amon murmured out loud, not even knowing that he said it.

Michael took another step towards him, "Give me the detonator."

"You're insane if you think I'd ever do anything-"

"This war has gone on too long." Michael said, "It's drawn out. No one has the will to fight it anymore. It's only be a selfish struggle between you and your own nightmares."

"What do you know!?" Djibril yelled, "Coordinators are-"

"PLANT and Earth are ready to co-exist with each other." Michael said, "Coordinators and Naturals are beginning to except each other for who they are. Both people have begun to see past simple genetic differences to the fact that we are all human beings. That's why you're so afraid. You're afraid-"

"I'm not afraid of anything!"

"We're all afraid of something, Djibril." Michael said, "All that matters, is whether or not we're willing to work with those fears..."

* * *

Dearka sat in his GINN. He groaned and cracked his neck. 

"What's the problem now?" Shiho asked him over the com.

"I'm getting a back ache from all this mobile suit shit."

"What? Getting old?"

"Phfft." Dearka snorted, "These damn chairs feel like cement."

"Not everyone was raised on designer furniture, Elthman. Now concentrate on the mission at hand."

"Gezz, you sound like Yzak." he said, "What am I going to do with two Jules as best friends? I'm screwed."

Shiho laughed over the com and it blinked off. Dearka looked forward as the suits around him began to fan out. He hoped they made it in time to destroy the mirror. It was massive, about the size Genesis was at least, except this time around they did not have an nuclear cores to detonate this time to destroy it.

They were joining up with other units to launch a barrage attack on the mirror. There were still surviving Cosmos troops around that were giving them trouble, but they were holding their own against the enemy troops. All that mattered was getting to the mirror before Djibril decided to activate that cannon.

His hands tightened on the controls as he raced towards the mirror with the rest of the suits.

_They stood on the observation deck. _

"_They are going to evacuate all the non-essential personal tomorrow." Dearka spoke._

_Miriallia gasped, looking up at him from her cup of coffee, "What? No! I won't leave you here-"_

"_It's not a choice, Miriallia, it's an order." he said, "Yzak will be evacuating everyone to the main rebel base on Aprilius One."_

"_That..." she frowned, "...that means that-"_

"_There's a good chance that we won't make it out of this one."_

_She was quiet a moment, and turned towards the window to see Earth below. Chuckling to herself, she set the cup on the windowsill, "I miss our house, Dearka. It was small and cozy."_

"_Yeah."_

"_It's going to be all dusty when we go back. I hope Zack is at least mowing the lawn and cleaning out the gutters once in a while."_

"_That's jackass?" Dearka crossed his arms, "He's probably dancing around Europe with that fancy French chick he picked up on the last gig."_

"_Dearka?"_

"_Hm?"_

_She turned around to look into his eyes. Before he could stop her, she grabbed the collar of his jacket, and yanked him down to her level. His lips opened to hers, and her hands slid over his face to dig into his hair. He had her pressed against the wall on the observation deck, kissing her as if he trying to suck her into his soul. _

"_Promise me that when this is over, we'll walk back into that house together?"_

_He stared at her a moment, and frowned, "Mir-"_

"_Promise me, Dearka."_

_Closing his mouth, he then smiled, "I promise."_

He promised.

Calmly, he pulled his mobile suit up to the mirror, aimed his guns, and fired. As he did this, watching the other squads follow him, he noticed the main structure not too far off. There was a strange energy spike, and he suddenly felt his mobile suit shake.

_Shit._

"Everyone!" he yelled, "Get clear!"

* * *

"Stay back!" Djibril yelled, raising his hand. 

Amon's eye grew wide, "Rhinner! He's going to-"

"DJIBRIL!" Michael roared as he ran towards the man.

A gunshot echoed threw the hall, followed by a beep from the detonator. Everyone watched in horror as Djibril pressed the button, firing the pistol point-blank at Michael's shoulder. The whole complex seemed to jolt, and the whole room began to collapse around them. Looking out the window, Michael watched as the Requiem activated and fired.

Michael was shoved backwards onto the stage from the force of the gunfire. Laying on his back, feeling blood soak through his flight suit, his eyes gazed as the ceiling.

He remembered holding his breath, and hearing a shriek from Maria Yukishiro behind him as he fell. There was a bright flash of light, and the Requiem sent off a blast.

* * *

_No...too late..._

He was too late to make amends, and now everyone would die. There was no hope of ever breaking the never-ending war between Coordinators and Naturals. Now, not only would the war never end but...

...there would be no one left to fight it.

As the weapon died down, Djibril stumbled past Michael who sat on the floor and stared at the window. He threw his head back and laughed outright,

"Fear, you say!" he yelled, "Fear is something for the weak! I am the one how controls the fear now!"

Michael looked up at him, still holding onto his bleeding shoulder, and gasped.

_What?_

The Earth...was still there.

There was a crackle over the radio on Amon's chest.

"...Leu...aire...copy?"

He froze, seeing the shocked look on Maria's face. They both knew the voice that came over the radio. Amon smiled,

"It's good to hear your voice, ma'am."

Shiho laughed over the radio, "Don't worry, Leutinant. We've taken care of the Requiem."

Amon smiled. "Those are the best words I've heard all day, _chere._"

"Stay where you are, Amon. We'll come get you."

Michael heard the words, and he could barely believe them. Looking at the window in the auditorium now, the main mirror was completely destroyed. They had managed to disable it before it fired. Now, it would not be able to harm anything.

Djibril stared at the window. His eyes had gone blank as Michael stood up.

It was all over now. They had won. Won the war that had gone on since before he was born, before most of the people alive now were born.

"Do you understand now?" Michael said, "Everyone wants a new world were we all can live together without having to worry about war. Everyone is exhausted from fighting."

Djibril glared at Michael out of the corner of his eye.

"I'm afraid that you don't have a choice." Amon cut in, "Under order of the PLANT Supreme Court, you're under arrest-"

"I won't let it end this way!" Djibril turned, pointing the gun straight at Lothaire.

Maria gasped, "Amon!"

A gun fire sounded through the room.

* * *

The door burst open, and uniformed soldiers filled the room. Dearka led them, a rifle perched high on his shoulder. He was the first one in the room, seeing Djibril raise the pistol towards the people in front of him. For a moment he thought that Djibril actually fired his gun, but he was wrong. 

Before him and the rest of the soldiers, Michael Rhinner pulled out a pistol hidden in the back of his belt and fired.

Djibril turned and stared at Michael with shocked eyes as blood soaked the front of his chest. With one last look, he collapsed to the floor. The gun slid from Michael's fingers, and he stumbled back slightly, pressing his wounded shoulder more tightly. He was loosing too much blood too fast. At the rate he was going at, he was going to past out soon.

There were people yelling and rushing towards him, but he did not hear them.

_Father, mother, brother...rest in peace..._

The last of his thoughts blanked from his mind as he slid to the floor.

* * *

He opened his eyes, staring at a ceiling of a hospital. It was not the same concrete ceiling he woke up underneath a few weeks ago. The ceiling was white and clean, and the air around him was warm and fresh as it blew through the windows. 

Looking around, he noticed someone sitting next to his bedside.

"Looks like you finally decided to wake." Ezaria laughed at him, "We were afraid that our leader had blinked out for good."

Michael shook his head to clear it, "Where...Where am I?"

"The general hospital. Things have been going pretty well." she said, "You've been asleep for four days."

"Four days?!" he sat up. Instantly flinching under the pain in his shoulder. There was a sling on his arm to keep the weight off it, but it was not enough.

"Don't worry." Ezaria shook her head, steadying him, "You need rest. Everything is being taken care of." she stood and headed for the door.

He laid back on the pillows, "Ezaria-san?"

She stopped before turning the doorknob, "Yes?"

"Did I do the right thing?"

She smiled at him, "You're parents would have been very proud of you." she said, "We're all proud of you, Kenji-kun."

As the door clicked shut, he smiled to himself, looking out of the window at the sunlight outside. For the first time in a long time, he felt...

...happy.

* * *

Cagali stood on the hillside in front of a grave. It was her first time getting to wander around PLANT freely, and it would be a long time before she would get to come back here. Bending over, she set flowers on each grave marker, and silently bowed her head. Opening her eyes, she smiled at the two stone graves. 

_Patrick and Lenore Zala._

_May Haumea protect you both._

Everything was beginning to smooth out. Peace talks were under way, and the official cease fire was celebrated with laughter and happiness all around. They had stopped by PLANT to officially meet the new PLANT leader, who happened to be the son of Gilbert Dullindal. At first they had all been skeptical, but Ezaria had vouched for him. Cagali trusted the woman's judgment.

It was nice to reunite with everyone again. Miriallia and Dearka had disappeared somewhere yesterday, probably back to their simple home on Earth. Athrun had mentioned something to her about them getting married and coming back to PLANT soon to visit Dearka's parents. That was something that was bound to be interesting. Miriallia came from a middle-class family, and had yet to be introduced to the wealth of the Elthman family fortune.

Yzak Jule had been transported to a medical facility on Aprilius One and was put on extended leave. He would bee rejoining the Supreme Council once he was well, but in the meantime he had retired to his home with his young fiance.

Shiho Hahnenfuss being alive still surprised Cagali. She was happy to see Shiho and her crew greet each other again with cheers and laughing, and everyone seemed to forget the sorrow of the Coursica being destroyed. Amon Lothaire had been promoted, alone with Maria Yukishiro and Saahl Hehn for their commendable bravery while protecting the entire Coursica crew.

Cagali had asked Shinn and Lunamaria to work for her. There were a lot of bills and new plans on the table, one of the biggest being a special task force. Since there were so many people left that only had skills to do with fighting and the military, Cagali had decided to use this by devising a special force. Although the war had officially ended, she knew there would be underground forces trying to start up conflict again. The special forces would be ideal to prevent that. Kenji Dullindal had also begun to put together then first special forces group that was a joint relation between PLANT and ZAFT.

"Cagali?"

Athrun's voice broke her from her thoughts. She turned, and Athrun had a smiled on his face,

"You beat me here."

"I still haven't met them yet." Cagali grinned as Athrun put an arm around her, "I'll bet they were wonderful people."

Athrun was quiet a moment. After thinking about his answer, he nodded, "They were. You would have liked my mother."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Cagali tilted her head to the side slightly, "Lenore..."

"Hm?"

She slipped out of Athrun's arms, "When we have our own children, I want us to have a daughter."

Athrun blushed, "What-"

"I want us to have a daughter, and I want her name to be Lenore."

He watched her smile and turn quickly to watch her skirt fan out. She wore a ankle-length billowing skirt and a t-shirt. It was slightly warm that day.

Athrun shook his head, "Cagali?"

She stopped and looked back at him, he was smiling.

"I love you, you know that?"

Cagali stared at him a moment, and then rushed up to him. Throwing her arms around his neck, she kissed him. His hands crept up her sides, sliding easily over the thin material that she wore. It had been such a long time since they had been able to be alone and relax that it almost felt like a dream. Opening her mouth with his lips, he kissed her back, crushing her into his arms.

"I know." she pulled away slightly to rest her forehead on his she smiled, "I love you too."

* * *

Michael stood in front of the office window, looking at the city below. He had a meeting in twenty minutes, but for some reason he just did not want to go. 

_Three years._

Part of him felt like the last three years had gone by like a dream. All the reconstruction, all the negotiations, all the other problems since the war ended...it was all some sort of dream. He remembered waking up in the hospital room three years ago, seeing Ezaria Jule next to his bed side, and then he remembered now.

There was a knock on the door.

"Dullindal-sama." the door opened to reveal his aid, "The meeting is about to start."

"Thank you."

Michael picked up his briefcase and headed towards the door. There were always a few bodygaurds and aids following his every move. At first, it made him really nervous, but he had gotten used to it by now. They would usually have him sign some papers or look over some reports as he walked down the hallway in between meetings.

Not that he was paying attention at the moment. Something had been bothering him lately that was distracting him.

Waking up in that hospital room three years ago, he had seen Ezaria Jule sitting next to his bedside. Part of him had been hoping that Meyrin had been there, but he knew he could not hold his breath for something like that. Now that he was chairman, he did not expect her to come running back into his arms to face all the duties she would have to have if she was with him. After all, he had lied to her. Michael did not blame her if she was angry with him.

Part of him was sad though. Meyrin Hawke was the first girl he ever fell in love with, and he never got to tell her. The last time he saw her he had been to distraut to say anything back. Since then, the night at the elevator before he left to face Djibril, he had not seen Meyrin once.

"Sir?"

He blinked, bringing himself out of his daze and realizing that someone had been asking him something.

"Pardon me, what was that again?"

"Ezaria Jule sent a message. She said that you need to come speak to her immediately at the front hall."

"Does she know I have a meeting in twenty minutes?"

"I told her, sir, but she said to come anyway."

Letting out a sigh, he nodded, "Alright." he replied before turning towards the main hall.

He did not even know where she was. Meyrin had been traveling around with her sister last time he heard about her. She was working with some special forces group in Orb because of her specialty in information gathering. Michael was happy for her that she was able to find a good job after the military that gave her plenty of opportunity to stretch her abilities, but the fact that he had never told her how he honestly felt was beginning to gnaw away at him like a guilty conscience.

Walking down the carpeted stairs of the council building, he noticed Ezaria Jule in the hall before he barely reached the bottom of the stairs. She was smiling, and shook his hand.

"You look well." she said, "That uniform looks good on you."

"As do you." he nodded, "Is this important, Ezaria-san? I have a meeting in twenty minutes."

"Of course." she said, "I found something you lost."

"What?"

She pointed, and he turned towards the direction she pointed. Standing in the lobby, looking out of the window was Meyrin. She was dressed in a white sun dress and sandals, her hair was pulled down, falling around her shoulders.

His mouth fell open.

"She's been working in Orb for a while, and was transferred here to help with the new PLANT Black Ops program that is being developed. Something that you put together, yes?"

Michael did not hear what she said. He broke out into a run, forgetting all about the decorum that his job demanded. He threw his arms around her, kissing her face and her lips, pulling her off her feet.

"Kenji." Meyrin smiled, "I missed you."

He laughed, kissing her one more time on the lips, "I love you."

Her cheeks turned pink, and her head turned away a moment, then glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. Laughing out loud, he grabbed her hand and pulled her with him. Turning to his aid, he smiled, "Cancel all my meetings for today and tomorrow."

The young man's eyes grew wide, "B-But sir-"

"I'm sure it'll be alright." he said, turning around, he waved to everyone as he pulled Meyrin out of the doors, "I am Chairman after all. If they want to see me enough they can wait two days."

"Kenji-kun!" she stuttered, "You can't just leave! You're the-"

"Meyrin, I feel like taking a walk in the park today." he said, grinning, "Walk with me?"

She stared at him a moment and then sighed, "Sure."

* * *

_I hope the conclusion of the battle was somewhat satisfying for people. I really had no idea how I was going to end this story a few weeks ago, and then it just suddenly came to me. Battles are such a pain to write, but are really cool when they turn out nicely._

_I hope everyone's holidays are wonderful. Write a review and tell me what you think._

_Arigato_

_Lilith_


	23. Epilogue

_Last chapter everyone! I hope you like it._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Seed Destiny_

* * *

Athrun walked down the street, hands in the pockets of his jacket, as he stared at the ZAFT Academy. Even though his bodygaurds had tried to insist that they accompany him there, he refused. After so many years since he had been there, he wanted to walk through the doors with the knowledge that he could easily defend himself in a fight, and that the 3 years of his life thathe gave up where not for nothing. 

The three most difficult years of his life were spent there.

Walking through the front doors, flashing a badge at the gaurds and smiling at their alarmed faces, he continued down the hallway. Athrun Zala was a legendary name that was muttered as a rumor in ZAFT. Some people thought that he was actually someone that was made-up. Athrun heard other explinations once in a while, and they made him laugh. Although, he had not come to the Academy today for a walk down memory lane.

There was a fencing tournament going on today that he had change his entire agenda to see. There was no way he was not coming, and he had promised Cagali he would go for her since she could not be there.

Cagali was on Sextillius right then, ironing out some last minute contracts with Chairman Dullindal. Athrun found himself wincing slightly, it was really hard to think of Michael Rhinner as Kenji Dullindal. Over the years he had gotten accustomed to calling Michael 'Chairman Dullindal' in meetings, but out of a formal setting Michael was still Michael.

The young blond man was quickly becoming one of PLANTs greatest Supreme Council leaders. He whipped PLANT back into shape in less the a year, and now he was the head of a massive disarmerment program. The only forces that were being kept were being combined with the Black Ops force. The Earth-PLANT Allience had started a joint department known as the Black Ops, which was a new anti-terrorist force that was started for the soul purpose of keeping the peace between Earth and PLANT. Once in a while, little conflicts sprung up, and the Black Ops were the ones that handled it.

No more war.

It was a three-word phrase that Athrun never thought he would be able to even think to himself. The the last 11 years since the night Michael shot Djibril and they seized control of Blue Cosmos, Athrun had finally been able to relax. He settled into his new role, and let life fly by him. He and Cagali had finally submerged themselves into their own married life, only worrying about the things that they wanted to do, taking one day at a time. In the last couple years, Athrun had suddenly found himself taking up to fishing in the lake behind the mansion.

He got up, got dressed...and lived. That was all he was obligated to do now, and all he wanted to do.

The arena was full of people, and below there were two people fighting. Athrun took noticed of their movements as they fought. The boy on the left was a little sluggish, but average for a 15 year old. The other boy, however, was amazing. Athrun was positive that the older boy would probably have trouble beating him. He looked like he was barely 10 years old.

Scanning the audience, his eyes fell on someone he was hoping to see.

Yzak Jule sat in the stands, his arms folded. His blue eyes followed the match closely, like he knew every move before it happened. That really did not surprise Athrun, though, fencing had always been one of the things that Yzak could possibly beat Athrun in.

"Is this seat taken, Chairman Jule?"

The silver-haired man smirked, "I didn't know you'd be here."

"My wife would beat me if I didn't come." Athrun chuckled, "How are you, old friend?"

It had been five years since Athrun had seen Yzak. It was not that he never contacted him, they just had their own lives now. Being one of the senior advisors on the Council, even though he was young for a 'senior' advisor, Yzak took care of many of the military sanctioned duties in the council. He was the most experienced, and he was trusted throughout the entire Allience as a very capable man.

The year the war ended, he had promptly resigned his commission to take on his council duties, and disappeared for a few years with Shiho Hahnenfuss. Athrun remembered going to their wedding, but between those few years he could not remember hearing anything from Yzak. Athrun suspected that Yzak had wanted to do the same thing that Athrun was doing. Wake up, eat, and sleep without worrying about battle stradegies, or plasma cannons, or anything of the sort.

Below, the match was over as the younger boy overtook his opponent, pushing him out of bounds. There was a loud buzzer, and the audience clapped. Athrun heard the annoucer's words overhead,

"**_Match, set, Seito Jule._**"

Athrun's eyebrows promptly went up. The last time he saw Seito Jule he was a year old and clinging onto Shiho's every move.

The boy had straight hair like his father, but it was a dark shade of brown. It fell long, to about his chest. Part of it was kept in a ponytail that was bound at the base of his neck. A few strands fell in front of his face as he pull the helmet off, shaking the sweet off his forehead.

He had bright blue eyes. There was no mistake in Athrun's mind that Seito was Yzak's son. He could have known just by looking in the boy's eyes.

"Last time I saw him, he couldn't even ride a bike let alone fence." Athrun smiled, "He's really good, Yzak."

"Damn right, he is." Yzak said, "No one can beat him. There are a few new competitors this year from the other Academy, but none of them can defeat him either."

It was obvious that Yzak was really proud considering the amount of bragging he was giving. Athrun shrugged nonchalantly,

"I'll bet he can't beat you, though."

Yzak smirked at him. He did not need to answer that question.

"Shiho was a little uneasy about letting him train here, but I wanted him too." he said, "It's important for him to know the basics."

"I agree."

"He can pilot a mobile suit too, but I suppose that is a little pointless. He probably won't need it."

"Thank the gods."

Yzak nodded, knowing perfectly what Athrun meant by that sentence.

* * *

The next challenger walked into the area, Seito made a face. _A girl?_

"They sent a girl to fight me?" he tilted his head to the side.

She already had her helmet on. Adjusting it a bit, she said, "Don't underestimate me just because I'm a girl, Jule-san."

"Well, well." he sneered, "I expect you to follow up on that threat."

"I promise you I will." she said, taking a perfect stance.

Seito took this moment to analyz his opponent. She definantly knew what she was doing, she was probably trained before coming to the Academy, like he was. Her footing was strong when she finally did strike, and he could not knock her off her feet like he could with the others.

Blocking her strikes, he found himself taking a step back.

"I'll give you credit-" he said, "-no one has been able to make me do anything except knock them on their asses yet."

"Pity." she said, "It'll make it harder on you when I beat you."

It was not what she said, it was how she said it. Like she knew everything, or like she could see his soul. Seito found himself leaping quickly in the air as a foot swept under him. Holding the foil in her hands, she flipped backwards once, whipping the sword in her hands when she landed.

"Damn it-" he cursed as she shot towards him. He barely had time to block that attack, and when he shoved her off, he stumbled backwards closely to the boundery line.

* * *

Yzak was sitting at the edge of his seat, gapping widely at the fight in front of him. He stood up, 

"Yo!" he roared, "Seito, this isn't a gala ball!"

"I know!" Seito snapped back, "I know what I'm doing!"

She was cunning and crafty, and could make split-second decisions.

She was also merciless.

Seito shot towards her, hearing her gasp as he tripped her footing as she had to bend over backwards to avoid missing his foil sweeping over her. Planting her hands on the mat, she flipped over once more, righting herself on her feet.

"You are good." she said, "I've never fought anyone as good as you."

"I'll take that as a compliment." he said, carefully dodging to the right to avoid her attack, "You're not half-bad either."

"I'll take that as a compliment." she chuckled, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" if he was not wearing the mask over his face she would have seen the odd look on his face.

"I'll beat you in front of all these people." she said.

He laughed out loud at that one, "Look, you couldn't beat me if I had both hands tied behind my back."

Seito side-stepped her, expecting her to fall foreward.

She did not.

Instead, she sunk to the floor, tripping him. He stumbled backwards, suddenly feeling the foil knocked viciously from his hands. She caught it in mid-air, and promptly shoved him out of bounds.

Seito was laying on his back, staring at the two fencing foils pointed directly at his face.

Yzak stood up from his seat, "Holy shit." he murmured. _Who the heck is that girl? How the did she learn that?_

Athrun felt a smile creep across his face.

* * *

Seito stood up and yanked the helmet from his head, apparently he was thinking the same thing his father was. 

"Who the hell are you?!" he roared.

She stood up straight, tossing his foil back to him.

"Your guard is a little weak on your right." she said, "You're left-handed, yes? You probably could have defeated me if you used your left hand and not your right."

Seito made a face, she was too perceptive. It made him nervous.

Reaching up, she pulled the helmet from her face. Immediately, her long blond hair fell about her shoulders. Some of it was braided, some was bound together into a high ponytail on her hair. It reached her waist, and seemed to shine in the light as she walked. She was short, not too short, but petite for someone who obivously trained deligantly.

"It's an honor to fight you." she smiled brightly at Seito.

_Oh no._

It was her eyes. Her deep, green-blue eyes that drew him in. She bowed slowly to Seito, her eyes flashing at him once more.

* * *

Yzak stared at the girl in the ring. He knew who she was, and turned to glare murderously at Athrun. 

"You sneaky son of a bitch!" he yelled at his old commrade.

Athrun smirked at Yzak as the announcer's voice came on the intercom again.

"**_Match, set, Lenore Zala_**."

Before Yzak could say another word, Athrun stood up, walking down the bleachers towards the edge of the arena. It was an intermission now, the tournament had started 3 hours ago. Athrun leaned over the edge of the retaining wall.

"Len." he called, waving to her.

She smiled, ignoring the fact that Seito had just opened his mouth to say something to her. Athrun found the doorway to the arena, and she threw her arms around him as he walked towards her.

"Mama said you might not be able to make it." she said.

"It all worked out." he said, "Kisaka threw a fit when I told him I cancelled all my meetings for today."

"Really?" she smiled, "That sounds like him."

"Yes, it does." he said, "Now, go get cleaned up so we can go eat."

"Good! I'm starving." she said, "Can we go find a ramen stand, Papa?"

Athrun laughed, Lenore always had a taste for simple things.

"I was thinking more along the lines of steak."

"That works."

"ZALA!"

Both Lenore and Athrun turned to see Yzak heading towards him. He gave Athrun a look as Seito moved to stand next to his father. Athrun laid a hand on Lenore's head, ruffling her hair, "Yzak, this is my daughter, Lenore. Lenore, this is Yzak Jule and his son Seito."

"You didn't tell me she was in the ZAFT Academy." Yzak said.

"She asked." Athrun shrugged, "Cagali thought it was okay, so why not?"

Yzak sighed, and then gave Seito a sympathetic look. The dark-haired boy shrugged. Part of Yzak knew that from now on Seito would have the same frustration at dealing with a Zala as he had, and the other part of him was glad. Someone strong enough was finally going to the Academy other then Seito. She would be more then enough to keep him on his toes.

"You wanna come eat with us?" Athrun asked, "We always have room for more people. Right, Len?"

She nodded.

Yzak and Seito exchanged looks.

"Sure." Yzak consented.

Lenore smiled, and grabbed Seito's hand. Neither Athrun nor Yzak missed the slight tint of red on the boy cheeks, "Let's go get changed, Jule-kun! I haven't eaten since this morning!"

"Let go of me!" Seito promptly struggled as she pulled him towards the locker rooms.

"Oh?" she turned to look at him, a worried look on her face, "Oh no! Did I hurt you? I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! I was just so happy to fight someone that actually gave me a challenge for once!"

Seito opened his mouth as she continued to ramble, "It's okay..."

"I was so happy!" she figgeted, smiling at him.

"Ah..." the young boy closed his mouth and marched past her, "Let's go change, Zala. I'm hungry."

Lenore grinned, "Wait for me!" she bounded after him.

* * *

Watching them run off, Yzak made a face, "Oh _hell_ no." 

Athrun laughed, clamping a hand on Yzak's shoulder, "Oh come on, Yzak. Maybe they'll get married someday. Then you and I would be related and that would be damn ironic, wouldn't you say?"

"I swear to god I'll shot myself if it comes to that."

As their children disappeared into the backstage hall, Athrun smiled.

"You know, Yzak..." Athrun said, "...the worse thing I worried about today was whether or not I would get here on time to see my daughter's match."

Yzak was silent a moment, then he smiled sadly, "Yeah."

"Isn't that great?"

Yzak thought about it for a minute. This peaceful life was hard to get used to, but he liked it.

"Yeah."

* * *

_I just wanted to take this time to thank everyone that have been sending reviews from the beginning. You guys are awesome, and I love reading all of your reviews. I honestly did not think this story was going to be as popluar as it ended up being. Now that it's over, I'll miss writing it, but I'm satisfied with the overall ending._

_The first chapter of Owari 2.0 is comming out very soon. There will not be too many appearences of the original characters, but there will be soon. Kira, Lacus, Cagali, and Athrun for sure will make a few appearences. _

_Anyway, thanks again to everyone. Send a review and tell me what you think, and Merry Christmas!_

_Arigato_

_Lilith _


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